India's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's first series win in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum built over the last several months has almost disappeared and the prospects of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's commendable display in England this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a successful handover after the almost concurrent departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the first Test and did not participate again in the series. However, that fails to account for the team of the terribly sub-par display in both Tests against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and a few members hoping for lengthy Test careers were exposed as not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep at home experienced by India in just over a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage India's prospects of making the decider of this edition also.
After being third in the WTC table before the series, India have fallen to number five. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that helped spin and aided their squad, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an anomaly.
Currently, India appear to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been modified from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would pose to them earlier.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for why India's performances on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws after India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - came up short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, fuelled by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
