The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' first series win in India in two and a half decades and India's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum gained during the previous half-year has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's impressive performance in England this season, under a new captain, suggested a successful handover after the almost concurrent exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign enhanced that perception, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and a few members hoping for extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This was the second series sweep on home soil experienced by India in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a place in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of reaching the decider of this edition too.
From number three in the Test championship standings before the series, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason India have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on tracks that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an aberration.
Now, the team look to be vulnerable at home.
Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as the opposition used them more effectively, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing at home because local wickets have been modified from turners to quick wickets to prepare players to succeed abroad.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for the reason India's performances at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not only one or two factors.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws after India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by disappointed supporters and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
