The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India a record defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' first series win in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory built over the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of multiple squad members - as well as team coach the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover post the almost concurrent retirements of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that does not excuse or justify the squad of the well below standard performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and a few members eyeing extended tenures in Tests were shown as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to South Africa risks harming India's prospects of making the decider of this cycle also.
From number three in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have dropped to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. But the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, why India have fared so badly in Tests at home in recent times is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered impregnable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Today, India seem easy pickings at home.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to suit their strengths failed miserably, as rivals exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that India is struggling at home because home surfaces have been modified from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the IPL, in which several international stars take part, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.
Although there is some truth in each argument, it fails to account for why the team's showings at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Most former players point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to various flaws after India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the side.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid 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 skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - team selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
