The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. This represented South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - as well as head coach the coach - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a new captain, pointed to a smooth transition post the close together retirements of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill was injured quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 win which practically cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming India's chances of making the final of this season as well.
From number three in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Though nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. Yet the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, why India have performed so poorly in Tests at home lately is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, India were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an aberration.
Now, the team appear to be beatable at home.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as opponents used them more effectively, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to do well overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them earlier.
While there is some truth in these views, it still does not explain the reason the team's showings at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not just one or two factors.
Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies after India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the team.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but inadequately to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also criticized, driven by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
