India's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, South Africa handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory gained during the previous half-year has all but vanished and the careers of a number of cricketers - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The young team's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a smooth transition post the near-simultaneous retirements of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the well below standard showing in each match against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and multiple individuals hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a place in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming India's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this season also.
After being third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have been relegated to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are remaining, a majority are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even against the powerful Australians. Yet the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, India were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Currently, the team appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The pitches they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that India is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which several international stars take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, 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 complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies post India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar 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 lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review targeted the entire setup - selectors and backroom team were also criticized, spurred on by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the examination was head coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
