India's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has all but vanished and the careers of several players - along with head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover post the almost concurrent departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season enhanced that perception, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that leader Gill was injured early on in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. But that does not excuse or justify the team of the terribly sub-par showing in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and several players aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
This was the second whitewash on home soil suffered by India in just a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage the team's hopes of making the showpiece of this season as well.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, the side have dropped to fifth place. Although nine additional matches are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even when facing the mighty Aussies. But the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Currently, India look to be easy pickings at home.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, outplaying the home team's players when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is failing at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to succeed in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would present to them earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for why the side's results at home have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to multiple deficiencies following India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, regular alterations of the playing XI, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - fell short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but inadequately to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - team selectors and backroom team were also criticized, fuelled by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
