India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It marked the Proteas' first series win in India in two and a half decades and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm established in the last several months has almost disappeared and the careers of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a new captain, indicated a successful handover post the almost concurrent exits of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, until the Proteas came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were a bit unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury very early in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that fails to account for the team of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Some big reputations suffered, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were exposed as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This represented the second clean sweep at home endured by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage the team's chances of qualifying for the decider of this season also.
After being third in the WTC table before the series, India have been relegated to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are remaining, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - including against the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, India look to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they prepared to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have seen such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only one or two factors.
Experts and participants have identified several failings after India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - fell short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and backroom team were also criticized, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
