The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 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, against all odds. It marked South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum built over the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of multiple squad members - including head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a new captain, suggested a successful handover after the almost concurrent departures of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign strengthened that view, until the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill got injured quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were shown as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep at home experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail India's hopes of reaching the decider of this edition too.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have fallen to fifth place. Although nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the powerful Australians. But the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, the reason India have struggled so much in Test matches at home in recent times is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, India seem beatable on home turf.
Versus New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they curated to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is failing at home because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to quick wickets to prepare players to do well overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would present to them before.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain why the side's results on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.
Critics and players have identified several failings following the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was clear in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - were found wanting in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - selectors and backroom team were also questioned, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.
At his post-series press
