The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the past six months has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in England this season, under a new captain, indicated a seamless changeover following the close together retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign enhanced that perception, before the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that leader Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This represented the second clean sweep at home experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a place in the WTC final.
The latest loss to South Africa risks harming India's hopes of making the decider of this edition as well.
From number three in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Although nine more Tests are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason India have performed so poorly in Tests at home lately is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an anomaly.
Now, India appear to be beatable at home.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to favor their game went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is floundering at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has reduced the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would present to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have seen such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to multiple deficiencies post India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, regular alterations of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not well enough to win matches.
Management Questions
The review didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, spurred on by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
At his post-series press
