The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of a number of cricketers - including head coach the coach - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's strong showing in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover following the near-simultaneous departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the domestic season boosted that belief, till the Proteas came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill suffered an injury early on in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. Yet that does not excuse or justify the side of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and several players aspiring to lengthy Test careers were exposed as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail the team's chances of making the final of this season as well.
From number three in the Test championship standings before the series, India have been relegated to number five. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - including against the powerful Australians. But the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an exception.
Now, the team look to be vulnerable at home.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to succeed overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has reduced the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would challenge them with before.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for why India's performances on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified multiple deficiencies after India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the displays of the squad.
Cricketers such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis didn't spare just the players - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
