India's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The winning rhythm built over the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - as well as head coach the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The young team's impressive performance in England this season, under a new captain, pointed to a successful handover post the almost concurrent exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the home season enhanced that perception, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard showing in each match against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
This was the second series sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 win which practically cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's prospects of making the final of this season too.
After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to number five. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even when facing the strong Australian side. But the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.
Today, the team appear to be easy pickings at home.
Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they developed to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as opponents used them more effectively, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is failing at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to prepare players to perform better overseas.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would challenge them with in the past.
Although there is some truth in each argument, it still does not explain why the team's showings on home soil have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to one or two factors.
Critics and players have highlighted various flaws after India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, regular alterations of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the side.
Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - were found wanting in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also criticized, spurred on by disappointed supporters and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
