The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the previous half-year has all but vanished and the careers of several players - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The emerging side's impressive performance in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover after the close together retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the domestic season enhanced that perception, till the Proteas came and inflicted a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill got injured very early in the first Test and took no further part in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second whitewash in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a berth in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's prospects of making the final of this edition also.
After being third in the WTC table before the series, India have dropped to number five. Though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - including against the mighty Aussies. But the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were regarded as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an exception.
Now, the team seem easy pickings at home.
Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they developed to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the IPL, in which several international stars participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with before.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain the reason the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted various flaws after India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the team.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to win matches.
Management Questions
The review also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
