India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India a record defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' first series win in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm established in the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover after the close together exits of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing display in each match against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep at home suffered by India in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a berth in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's chances of reaching the decider of this edition also.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Though nine further games are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even when facing the strong Australian side. However the failures against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches at home lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that helped spin and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an exception.
Now, the team look to be beatable in their own backyard.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents used them more effectively, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that India is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has removed the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would pose to them earlier.
Even though there is validity in each argument, it still does not explain why the side's results on home soil have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not only one or two factors.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws following the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the performances of the team.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - were found wanting in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and support staff were also under fire, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
