India's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the past six months has all but vanished and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with team coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Disappears
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a successful handover after the close together exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill suffered an injury very early in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard display in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and a few members eyeing long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
This represented the second series sweep in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 triumph which effectively cost India a berth in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail the team's chances of reaching the final of this edition as well.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home lately is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, India were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Today, the team appear to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition used them more effectively, beating the home team's players when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has reduced the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them earlier.
Although there is some truth in each argument, it still does not explain why the side's results at home have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only one or two factors.
Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies following India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, poor choices, arrogance, regular alterations of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the team.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - were found wanting in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but not well enough to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also questioned, driven by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
