India's shocking 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory established in the previous half-year has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's impressive performance in England this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a smooth transition after the close together departures of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home season enhanced that perception, till the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill was injured early on in the first Test and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This represented the second whitewash in home conditions experienced by India in just more than a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 victory which practically cost India a spot in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail the team's hopes of reaching the showpiece of this edition also.
After being third in the WTC table before the series, the side have dropped to fifth place. Although nine more Tests are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - including against the strong Australian side. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in the longer format has been badly exposed. However, the reason India have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an anomaly.
Currently, the team look to be beatable in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Some suggest that India is struggling at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to succeed abroad.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them before.
Although there is validity in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to one or two factors.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies after the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the team.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis also included just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the examination was head coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
