The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum established in the last several months has almost disappeared and the careers of a number of cricketers - along with head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a new captain, indicated a successful handover post the close together departures of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home season enhanced that perception, until the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill got injured very early in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the well below standard showing in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and a few members aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second series sweep at home suffered by India in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 win which essentially denied India a spot in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail India's hopes of making the final of this cycle as well.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to fifth place. Although nine further games are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even when facing the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. However, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches at home lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, India appear to be beatable in their own backyard.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is failing at home because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well overseas.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them before.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies following India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, poor choices, overconfidence, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Players such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis also included the entire setup - selectors and backroom team were also criticized, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. In the spotlight of the examination was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
