The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, South Africa gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in 25 years and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the last several months has all but vanished and the careers of a number of cricketers - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition following the close together retirements of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the domestic season enhanced that perception, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. Yet that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations suffered, and a few members hoping for lengthy Test careers were exposed as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 triumph which practically cost the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming India's hopes of reaching the showpiece of this cycle as well.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table prior to the contest, India have been relegated to number five. Even though nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil recently is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an anomaly.
Currently, India appear to be beatable on home turf.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they curated to favor their game went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that India is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to do well overseas.
A few mention that the IPL, in which several international stars play, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them in the past.
Although there is validity in these views, it still does not explain the reason the side's results at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars identify a complicated issue, not limited to one or two factors.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies after the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the displays of the side.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - the selection panel and support staff were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
