The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, South Africa gave India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The winning rhythm built over the last several months has almost disappeared and the prospects of several players - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover following the near-simultaneous exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, until the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing performance in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations suffered, and several players hoping for lengthy Test careers were shown as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
This represented the second whitewash on home soil experienced by India in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a place in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming the team's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this season also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have fallen to fifth place. Though nine more Tests are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in the longer format has been clearly revealed. However, the reason India have struggled so much in Test matches at home in recent times is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an exception.
Today, India look to be easy pickings on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, 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, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from turners to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players play, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them in the past.
While there is validity in both analyses, it does not clarify why the team's showings on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars identify a complicated issue, not limited to one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted several failings following the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
