India's unexpected 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's first series win in India in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory built over the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - including team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover after the close together retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the domestic season boosted that belief, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill was injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the side of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by India in just a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail India's chances of reaching the decider of this cycle too.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Though nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Now, India appear to be beatable on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would challenge them with earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason India's performances on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to one or two factors.
Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies after India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, regular alterations of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - came up short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review targeted just the players - the selection panel and backroom team were also criticized, fuelled by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
