India's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's second home series loss in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of several players - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition following the near-simultaneous exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign strengthened that view, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the first Test and did not participate again in the series. Yet that does not excuse or justify the team of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and several players eyeing lengthy Test careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming India's prospects of making the final of this cycle also.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the mighty Aussies. But the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Today, India look to be vulnerable at home.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they developed to suit their strengths failed miserably, as opponents used them more effectively, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has taken away the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would pose to them before.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it does not clarify why the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted multiple deficiencies after India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, poor choices, arrogance, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the side.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - came up short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included just the players - selectors and backroom team were also questioned, driven by disappointed supporters and critical former players. Under focus of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
