India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in India in 25 years and the host nation's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm established in the previous half-year has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover following the close together retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill got injured early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that does not excuse or justify the squad of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and a few members hoping for lengthy Test careers were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had secured a surprising 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's chances of making the decider of this cycle too.
From number three in the Test championship standings before the series, India have been relegated to number five. Even though nine additional matches are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even against the strong Australian side. Yet the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home recently is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Now, the team appear to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The pitches they curated to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed overseas.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would challenge them with before.
While there is some truth in both analyses, it does not clarify why the side's results on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws post the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the performances of the team.
Members such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - were found wanting in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - selectors and support staff were also questioned, spurred on by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the scrutiny was head coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
