The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum built over the past six months has largely dissipated and the careers of multiple squad members - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's commendable display in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover after the close together exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury very early in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard performance in the two games against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for extended tenures in Tests were exposed as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep at home experienced by India in just more than a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 triumph which effectively cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to South Africa risks harming India's hopes of making the showpiece of this cycle also.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have fallen to fifth place. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even against the powerful Australians. But the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on pitches that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an aberration.
Today, the team appear to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is floundering at home because local wickets have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has reduced the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would pose to them in the past.
Although there is validity in each argument, it still does not explain the reason the side's results at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies post the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the team.
Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - were found wanting in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis also included the entire setup - the selection panel and backroom team were also questioned, fuelled by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.
At his post-series press
