India's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in 25 years and the host nation's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum built over the past six months has largely dissipated and the futures of a number of cricketers - as well as team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition after the close together departures of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Gill got injured quickly in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par display in each match against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and several players hoping for lengthy Test careers were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a spot in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail India's hopes of qualifying for the decider of this cycle too.
From number three in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Even though nine more Tests are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even when facing the strong Australian side. But the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. However, the reason India have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an aberration.
Now, the team appear to be beatable in their own backyard.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they curated to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as opponents used them more effectively, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing at home because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to succeed abroad.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would present to them in the past.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings at home have seen such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars point to a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws after the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - came up short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem didn't spare not only the cricketers - team selectors and backroom team were also criticized, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. At the centre of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
