The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, South Africa handed India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of several players - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The young team's strong showing in the UK this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover after the near-simultaneous departures of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the home season enhanced that perception, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill was injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Concerning History
This was the second whitewash on home soil endured by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 triumph which practically cost the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming India's hopes of reaching the final of this season as well.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have fallen to fifth place. Though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the strong Australian side. Yet the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, India were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.
Today, India appear to be beatable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they developed to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling at home because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would present to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in these views, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to several failings following the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the side.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The review targeted not only the cricketers - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, spurred on by upset followers and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
