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, the visiting team inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the prospects of several players - along with head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a new captain, pointed to a successful handover after the near-simultaneous retirements of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, until the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill was injured very early in the first Test and did not participate again in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the highly disappointing display in both Tests against the opposition.
Some big reputations suffered, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were exposed as not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second series sweep at home experienced by India in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a spot in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's hopes of qualifying for the showpiece of this cycle too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have fallen to number five. Even though nine further games are remaining, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even against the strong Australian side. However the failures against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. However, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that helped spin and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an anomaly.
Today, the team look to be beatable on home turf.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that India is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from turners to quick wickets to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would challenge them with in the past.
While there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Most former players identify a complicated issue, not just one or two factors.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws after India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the side.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - were found wanting in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The review targeted not only the cricketers - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, spurred on by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
