The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has almost disappeared and the careers of multiple squad members - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover post the close together exits of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home campaign enhanced that perception, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill was injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that fails to account for the squad of the well below standard performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were shown as not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to the Proteas risks harming the team's prospects of reaching the showpiece of this edition also.
From number three in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to fifth place. Though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. But the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an aberration.
Currently, the team seem vulnerable on home turf.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they curated to favor their game went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is struggling at home because home surfaces have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to succeed abroad.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would present to them in the past.
While there is some truth in these views, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have identified multiple deficiencies following India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the team lineup, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. At the centre of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
