The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory gained during the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the careers of several players - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this season, under a new captain, indicated a successful handover following the near-simultaneous departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the domestic season enhanced that perception, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that skipper Gill got injured early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard performance in each match against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and multiple individuals aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Concerning History
This represented the second whitewash in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage the team's prospects of reaching the final of this edition also.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Although nine more Tests are remaining, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been badly exposed. However, why India have struggled so much in Tests at home lately is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, the team look to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to help their style failed miserably, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the home team's players when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been changed from turners to quick wickets to train the squad to do well abroad.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them before.
Although there is validity in these views, it does not clarify why India's performances at home have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies after the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the side.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The review didn't spare just the players - selectors and backroom team were also questioned, driven by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
