India's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum gained during the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a successful handover following the close together exits of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill got injured early on in the first Test and took no further part in the series. But that fails to account for the squad of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and several players hoping for extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash on home soil suffered by India in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming India's prospects of reaching the showpiece of this edition also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have been relegated to number five. Though nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even when facing the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that helped spin and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an anomaly.
Currently, India appear to be beatable at home.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the home team's players when it mattered most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to do well abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them in the past.
Even though there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify why India's performances on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted various flaws after the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Players such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - came up short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The analysis also included the entire setup - selectors and backroom team were also questioned, driven by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
