The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory established in the previous half-year has all but vanished and the careers of several players - along with team coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The emerging side's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a seamless changeover post the close together exits of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign enhanced that perception, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill got injured very early in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that does not excuse or justify the team of the highly disappointing display in both Tests against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and several players aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's chances of qualifying for the showpiece of this edition too.
After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, India seem easy pickings on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to favor their game went wrong completely, as opponents used them more effectively, beating the home team's players when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been modified from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would challenge them with in the past.
While there is validity in these views, it does not clarify the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only one or two factors.
Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies following the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the squad.
Cricketers such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - were found wanting in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis also included the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
