The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum built over the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The young team's strong showing in England this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a smooth transition following the close together departures of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the home campaign enhanced that perception, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Shubman Gill was injured very early in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the side of the well below standard showing in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members eyeing lengthy Test careers were shown as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep at home experienced by India in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a place in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage the team's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this edition as well.
After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have been relegated to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. But the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in the longer format has been badly exposed. However, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home recently is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Today, India seem easy pickings at home.
Against the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they developed to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would present to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in these views, it still does not explain the reason India's performances on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified multiple deficiencies post India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the squad.
Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - fell short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but inadequately to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
