The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' first series win in India in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum built over the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of multiple squad members - as well as head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a seamless changeover following the close together retirements of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, until the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill suffered an injury quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. But that fails to account for the squad of the highly disappointing display in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash on home soil suffered by India in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of qualifying for the final of this edition also.
After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even when facing the strong Australian side. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. However, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on pitches that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an exception.
Currently, the team look to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition used them more effectively, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is failing at home because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would present to them earlier.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for why the team's showings at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players diagnose a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified multiple deficiencies after the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the side.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - were found wanting in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review didn't spare the entire setup - team selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
