The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Disappears
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition following the almost concurrent exits of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, till the South Africans came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing display in both Tests against South Africa.
Some big reputations suffered, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were exposed as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
It was the second series sweep at home endured by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage India's chances of making the final of this cycle as well.
After being third in the WTC table before the series, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Though nine further games are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even against the strong Australian side. Yet the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, why the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Currently, India look to be easy pickings at home.
Versus New Zealand in last year 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 the opposition exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from turners to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would challenge them with earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the side's results on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Most former players point to a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws after India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the side.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - came up short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis also included the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, driven by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
