The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of a number of cricketers - as well as head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The young team's strong showing in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition post the near-simultaneous departures of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second clean sweep in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which practically cost India a spot in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail India's hopes of reaching the final of this season also.
From number three in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have dropped to fifth place. Even though nine further games are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. But the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. However, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home recently is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, India were regarded as invincible in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an exception.
Currently, the team appear to be beatable on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering at home because home surfaces have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to succeed abroad.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would challenge them with in the past.
While there is some truth in both analyses, it still does not explain why the team's showings at home have seen such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Most former players point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified various flaws post the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.
This was clear in the showings of the team.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - came up short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, spurred on by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
