The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, South Africa handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the prospects of a number of cricketers - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Disappears
The young team's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition post the close together departures of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the domestic season enhanced that perception, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill was injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the team of the highly disappointing display in both Tests against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
It was the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which effectively cost India a spot in the WTC final.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail India's chances of making the decider of this edition as well.
After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Although nine further games are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. Yet the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
India's frailty in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have fared so badly in Test matches at home recently is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, India appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to help their style failed miserably, as rivals used them more effectively, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to prepare players to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would pose to them earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for why the team's showings on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified various flaws post the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the team.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar 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.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included just the players - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. At the centre of the scrutiny was head coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
