India's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's second home series loss in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The new-look squad's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition following the close together exits of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. But that fails to account for the squad of the terribly sub-par display in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep at home experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a place in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming India's hopes of making the final of this season too.
From number three in the WTC table prior to the contest, India have dropped to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as invincible in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an exception.
Today, the team appear to be easy pickings on home turf.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to favor their game went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to fast tracks to prepare players to perform better overseas.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players take part, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would present to them before.
While there is some truth in these views, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings at home have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not just a few causes.
Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies post the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the team.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - came up short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also questioned, fuelled by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
