India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It marked 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 a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the previous half-year has all but vanished and the prospects of a number of cricketers - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Disappears
The young team's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a smooth transition after the almost concurrent retirements of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the home season enhanced that perception, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill got injured very early in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard performance in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Worrying Trend
It was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a place in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's hopes of qualifying for the decider of this cycle too.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have been relegated to number five. Although nine additional matches are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even when facing the powerful Australians. But the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, India were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Now, India appear to be beatable at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.
While there is some truth in each argument, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not just a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies after the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was clear in the performances of the side.
Members such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - were found wanting in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also criticized, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
