The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the prospects of a number of cricketers - along with team coach the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a new captain, suggested a successful handover after the almost concurrent departures of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill got injured very early in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing showing in each match against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This was the second series sweep at home experienced by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming the team's hopes of making the showpiece of this edition too.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. However the failures against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home lately is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Today, India appear to be beatable at home.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they developed to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to do well overseas.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would present to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it still does not explain why the side's results at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complicated issue, not just one or two factors.
Experts and participants have identified various flaws post the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the side.
Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis targeted the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also criticized, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
