The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of a number of cricketers - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition after the close together retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, before the Proteas turned up and handed out a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury very early in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that fails to account for the squad of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and several players hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 victory which practically cost India a berth in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail India's hopes of qualifying for the showpiece of this cycle as well.
After being third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Although nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - including against the strong Australian side. However the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. However, the reason India have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, India were seen as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that helped spin and aided their squad, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, India appear to be easy pickings on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they developed to favor their game went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to succeed abroad.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would pose to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it still does not explain the reason the team's showings at home have seen such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have identified various flaws following the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the side.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not well enough to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted just the players - selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, fuelled by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
