The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa handed India a record loss in Test cricket, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' first series win in India in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has almost disappeared and the careers of several players - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a new captain, suggested a seamless changeover following the almost concurrent exits of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the home season boosted that belief, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill was injured very early in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par display in both Tests against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and multiple individuals hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
This represented the second whitewash in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 triumph which effectively cost the hosts a spot in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's prospects of reaching the final of this edition too.
After being third in the WTC table prior to the contest, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Although nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. But the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home recently is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an exception.
Currently, India seem vulnerable in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been modified from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them before.
Even though there is validity in these views, it still does not explain why India's performances at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a multi-faceted challenge, not just one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to multiple deficiencies post the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was clear in the showings of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - team selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
