The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum established in the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of multiple squad members - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a new captain, indicated a smooth transition after the close together departures of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury very early in the opening Test and took no further part in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the team of the well below standard performance in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This was the second whitewash on home soil endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 win which essentially denied India a spot in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's chances of making the decider of this edition also.
After being third in the WTC table prior to the contest, India have been relegated to number five. Even though nine further games are remaining, five of these are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a major plus - including against the powerful Australians. However the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests at home recently is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, India were seen as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an aberration.
Now, India seem easy pickings in their own backyard.
Against the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the IPL, in which several international stars play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would present to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars identify a complicated issue, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws post the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press