The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. This represented South Africa's first series win in India in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm established in the last several months has largely dissipated and the careers of a number of cricketers - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this season, under a new captain, pointed to a smooth transition following the almost concurrent retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the domestic season strengthened that view, till the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that captain Gill got injured early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the squad of the highly disappointing showing in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Concerning History
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had secured a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a berth in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail the team's hopes of making the final of this season also.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have fallen to number five. Even though nine more Tests are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil recently is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that helped spin and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Now, India appear to be easy pickings on home turf.
Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they developed to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would present to them earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies following India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was clear in the showings of the team.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - were found wanting in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the scrutiny was head coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
