India's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm built over the last several months has largely dissipated and the careers of several players - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Disappears
The new-look squad's impressive performance in England this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a successful handover post the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, until the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill got injured very early in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. But that fails to account for the side of the well below standard display in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and several players aspiring to lengthy Test careers were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second series sweep at home experienced by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a surprising 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage the team's prospects of qualifying for the final of this cycle too.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Although nine additional matches are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the mighty Aussies. But the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an anomaly.
Now, India seem vulnerable at home.
Versus New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to suit their strengths failed miserably, as rivals used them more effectively, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to quick wickets to prepare players to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the IPL, in which several international stars participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would present to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain why India's performances on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players identify a complicated issue, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies after the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, spurred on by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
