The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum built over the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the careers of several players - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a new captain, suggested a smooth transition post the almost concurrent departures of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the South Africans came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill suffered an injury early on in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par display in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second whitewash at home experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming the team's hopes of qualifying for the showpiece of this season too.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Although nine additional matches are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason India have performed so poorly in Tests at home lately is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an exception.
Today, India seem vulnerable on home turf.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they developed to favor their game failed miserably, as the opposition used them more effectively, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has reduced the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would present to them in the past.
While there is some truth in these views, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have seen such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars identify a complicated issue, not limited to one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws post the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem didn't spare not only the cricketers - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
