India's unexpected 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was the Proteas' first series win in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has largely dissipated and the careers of several players - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover following the near-simultaneous exits of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the team of the well below standard performance in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
This represented the second clean sweep in home conditions experienced by India in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a berth in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming India's prospects of reaching the final of this edition also.
From number three in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to number five. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. However, why India have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an exception.
Now, India seem vulnerable on home turf.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they developed to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals used them more effectively, beating the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to fast tracks to train the squad to succeed in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them in the past.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain why the side's results at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a few causes.
Critics and players have pointed to several failings post the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but not well enough to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and backroom team were also questioned, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
