The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover after the close together departures of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home campaign enhanced that perception, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill was injured early on in the initial match and took no further part in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par display in each match against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second clean sweep at home endured by India in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a spot in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of reaching the decider of this edition too.
After being third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an anomaly.
Today, India look to be beatable on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they developed to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling at home because home surfaces have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to do well overseas.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has removed the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them earlier.
Although there is some truth in these views, it still does not explain why the team's showings at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not just one or two factors.
Experts and participants have identified several failings following the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, arrogance, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the team.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The review also included not only the cricketers - selectors and backroom team were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. At the centre of the examination was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
