India's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory built over the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of several players - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a new captain, suggested a smooth transition after the close together departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season boosted that belief, before the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the initial match and did not participate again in the series. But 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 several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were shown as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the WTC final.
The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming India's prospects of reaching the decider of this season also.
From number three in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Although nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. But the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Now, India look to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from turners to fast tracks to train the squad to succeed in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would present to them earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it still does not explain the reason the side's results at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies after India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the squad.
Members like 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 spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The analysis also included the entire setup - team selectors and backroom team were also questioned, spurred on by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
