The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' first series win in India in 25 years and the host nation's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the careers of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The emerging side's impressive performance in England this season, under a new captain, indicated a successful handover post the near-simultaneous retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season boosted that belief, before the Proteas came and inflicted a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury quickly in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par display in both Tests against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were shown as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a place in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail India's chances of qualifying for the decider of this edition too.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have fallen to fifth place. Although nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an anomaly.
Now, the team seem easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from turners to fast tracks to train the squad to succeed in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would present to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Most former players point to a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies following the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
