India's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India a record loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It marked the Proteas' first series win in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm established in the previous half-year has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - as well as head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a new captain, suggested a successful handover post the near-simultaneous retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season boosted that belief, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were a bit unlucky that leader Gill suffered an injury very early in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing showing in the two games against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and a few members hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second whitewash at home experienced by India in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a surprising 3-0 win which essentially denied India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail India's hopes of making the final of this cycle as well.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even against the powerful Australians. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. However, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Today, the team look to be easy pickings on home turf.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they curated to favor their game failed miserably, as opponents exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Some suggest that India is failing at home because home surfaces have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the IPL, in which several international stars participate, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them in the past.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason India's performances at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars diagnose a complicated issue, not only a few causes.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws post the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Players such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to secure victories.
Management Questions
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - selectors and support staff were also questioned, spurred on by disappointed supporters and critical former players. At the centre of the examination was head coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
