The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It was South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory gained during the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the futures of several players - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover after the near-simultaneous retirements of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that skipper Gill got injured quickly in the initial match and did not participate again in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing showing in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be 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 over a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost India a berth in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of reaching the final of this cycle also.
From number three in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even against the strong Australian side. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. However, why India have fared so badly in Tests at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an aberration.
Currently, India seem easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to prepare players to do well abroad.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would challenge them with in the past.
Although there is validity in both analyses, it does not clarify why the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted several failings post the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was clear in the performances of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - were found wanting in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
