The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the prospects of several players - including head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The emerging side's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a seamless changeover post the near-simultaneous exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the South Africans came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
India were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill got injured early on in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that does not excuse or justify the squad of the well below standard performance in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to long red-ball careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of qualifying for the decider of this edition too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table before the series, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. But the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil recently is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Today, the team look to be beatable on home turf.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they developed to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that India is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been modified from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain the reason the side's results at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Most former players diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies after the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and prioritising limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Members such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - came up short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to secure victories.
Management Questions
The review didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
