The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was the Proteas' first series win in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the previous half-year has all but vanished and the careers of multiple squad members - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover post the almost concurrent departures of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill got injured very early in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a berth in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail India's hopes of reaching the final of this edition too.
After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Though nine more Tests are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a major plus - including against the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Test matches at home lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that helped spin and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an aberration.
Today, the team seem vulnerable on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been modified from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to perform better overseas.
Some point out that the IPL, in which many overseas players play, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would present to them in the past.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it still does not explain the reason India's performances at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not just one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws post India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but inadequately to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The review also included just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
