The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It was South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum gained during the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - along with head mentor the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's impressive performance in England this season, under a new captain, suggested a successful handover following the almost concurrent exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, till the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the series. But that fails to account for the team of the highly disappointing showing in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail India's prospects of reaching the final of this cycle as well.
After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have been relegated to number five. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even when facing the strong Australian side. Yet the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. However, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as invincible in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that helped spin and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, India appear to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they prepared to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to prepare players to do well abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them before.
While there is validity in each argument, it does not clarify why the side's results on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies after India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the squad.
Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - selectors and backroom team were also questioned, spurred on by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was head coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
