The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It marked the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in 25 years 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 largely dissipated and the futures of several players - along with team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's commendable display in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a smooth transition following the close together retirements of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the domestic season enhanced that perception, till the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill suffered an injury early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and a few members hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Concerning History
It was the second series sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage India's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this edition too.
After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Though nine more Tests are remaining, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. But the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. However, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Currently, the team look to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they curated to suit their strengths failed miserably, as rivals exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would present to them earlier.
Even though there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify the reason India's performances at home have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted multiple deficiencies following the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, poor choices, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the squad.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sai 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 casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - team selectors and backroom team were also criticized, spurred on by distraught fans and vocal past stars. At the centre of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
