The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in 25 years and the host nation's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of several players - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The emerging side's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a smooth transition after the almost concurrent retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, before the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill was injured very early in the opening Test and took no further part in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the side of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and a few members hoping for lengthy Test careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second whitewash on home soil experienced by India in just over a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas could damage the team's prospects of making the final of this cycle also.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - including against the strong Australian side. But the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been clearly revealed. That said, why India have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, India were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Currently, the team appear to be beatable at home.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to suit their strengths failed miserably, as rivals exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering at home because local wickets have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to do well overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with in the past.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason India's performances on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a few causes.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws after the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, poor choices, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - were found wanting in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also criticized, spurred on by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
