The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It was South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum built over the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover after the near-simultaneous exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Shubman Gill was injured very early in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the team of the highly disappointing showing in each match against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members hoping for long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second series sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts 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 WTC table before the series, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, why India have struggled so much in Test matches at home recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and aided their squad, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an aberration.
Now, India seem beatable in their own backyard.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents used them more effectively, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is floundering at home because home surfaces have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to do well overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has removed the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them in the past.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it does not clarify why India's performances at home have seen such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies following India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - came up short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis also included just the players - selectors and support staff were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
