India's shocking 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' first series win in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a smooth transition after the close together departures of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill was injured early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that does not excuse or justify the squad of the highly disappointing display in each match against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and multiple individuals hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions experienced by India in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's chances of qualifying for the decider of this edition as well.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Though nine more Tests are yet to be played, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. But the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil lately is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Currently, the team look to be vulnerable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is floundering at home because home surfaces have been altered from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to do well abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them before.
While there is validity in these views, it does not clarify the reason India's performances on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not only a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies following the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - came up short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was head coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
