The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India a record loss in Test cricket, against all odds. It was the Proteas' first series win in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's second home series loss in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum established in the last several months has almost disappeared and the careers of multiple squad members - including head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The young team's strong showing in England this season, under a new captain, pointed to a successful handover following the close together exits of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season strengthened that view, till the South Africans came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill got injured quickly in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard performance in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for extended tenures in Tests were exposed as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming India's prospects of making the showpiece of this cycle too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have been relegated to fifth place. Even though nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even when facing the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. However, the reason India have performed so poorly in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on pitches that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an anomaly.
Currently, India look to be beatable in their own backyard.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents used them more effectively, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which several international stars participate, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them earlier.
Even though there is validity in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the side's results on home soil have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies after the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was obvious in the showings of the side.
Cricketers such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not well enough to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
