The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, against all odds. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in two and a half decades and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory built over the last several months has almost disappeared and the careers of a number of cricketers - including head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this season, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover following the near-simultaneous retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign enhanced that perception, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the first Test and did not participate again in the series. Yet that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par showing in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and multiple individuals hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second series sweep at home experienced by India in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail India's hopes of reaching the showpiece of this season as well.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Although nine more Tests are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in the longer format has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, the team seem beatable on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to succeed in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would present to them before.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it still does not explain why India's performances on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not only one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have identified several failings after the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
