India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked the Proteas' first series win in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory gained during the previous half-year has all but vanished and the careers of several players - as well as head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a successful handover after the almost concurrent departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that captain Gill got injured quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that does not excuse or justify the side of the highly disappointing performance in each match against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash at home experienced by India in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage the team's chances of qualifying for the showpiece of this edition also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Though nine more Tests are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even against the mighty Aussies. But the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that helped spin and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Now, India appear to be beatable at home.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they curated to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with before.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason India's performances on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws following the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - selectors and support staff were also questioned, driven by upset followers and critical former players. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
