India's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the last several months has almost disappeared and the careers of several players - including head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover following the near-simultaneous exits of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the commencement of the home season enhanced that perception, before the Proteas came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second series sweep at home suffered by India in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail India's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this season also.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have dropped to fifth place. Although nine additional matches are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even when facing the mighty Aussies. But the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, why India have performed so poorly in Tests at home recently is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, India look to be vulnerable on home turf.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, surpassing the home team's players when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been modified from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would challenge them with earlier.
While there is validity in each argument, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to several failings following India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the performances of the team.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not well enough to secure victories.
Management Questions
The analysis also included just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
