The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa gave India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the careers of a number of cricketers - including head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Disappears
The young team's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition post the near-simultaneous retirements of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season strengthened that view, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill was injured quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the series. Yet that fails to account for the squad of the well below standard display in both Tests against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and several players eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second whitewash at home experienced by India in just more than a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 win which essentially denied India a spot in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's chances of qualifying for the showpiece of this edition too.
From number three in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Though nine additional matches are remaining, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even against the strong Australian side. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an exception.
Today, India seem beatable at home.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to favor their game went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is failing at home because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has reduced the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would pose to them earlier.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Most former players diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws post India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the side.
Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - were found wanting in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The review targeted the entire setup - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
