India's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory 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 winning rhythm built over the last several months has all but vanished and the careers of several players - as well as head mentor the coach - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's strong showing in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, suggested a successful handover after the almost concurrent retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill got injured quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the well below standard performance in both Tests against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and a few members aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the format.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep at home suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage India's chances of qualifying for the final of this season also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a major plus - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Today, the team appear to be easy pickings on home turf.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, outplaying the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Some suggest that India is floundering at home because local wickets have been altered 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 numerous foreign cricketers take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them before.
While there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the side's results on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a multi-faceted challenge, not just a few causes.
Critics and players have identified several failings following the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, regular alterations of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The analysis didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
