India's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was the Proteas' first series win in India in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover following the near-simultaneous exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill was injured early on in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the team of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.
Some big reputations suffered, and multiple individuals aspiring to long red-ball careers were shown as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash at home endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage the team's chances of qualifying for the showpiece of this edition as well.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table prior to the contest, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Though nine more Tests are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil recently is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Currently, India seem easy pickings on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to prepare players to succeed overseas.
Some point out that the IPL, in which several international stars play, has removed the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it still does not explain the reason the side's results at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not just a few causes.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws following India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, regular alterations of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the displays of the team.
Cricketers such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
