India's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa gave India a record defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. This represented South Africa's first series win in India in 25 years and the host nation's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum built over the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of a number of cricketers - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The young team's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover post the almost concurrent retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the Proteas came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard showing in both Tests against the opposition.
Some big reputations were damaged, and a few members aspiring to lengthy Test careers were exposed as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second series sweep in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail the team's chances of making the decider of this edition too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table before the series, India have fallen to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
India's weakness in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, the reason India have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil in recent times is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an exception.
Currently, the team appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that India is floundering at home because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to succeed abroad.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them before.
Even though there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify why India's performances on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a few causes.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws post India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the displays of the squad.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and support staff were also criticized, driven by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
