India's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has all but vanished and the careers of multiple squad members - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The emerging side's commendable display in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover post the near-simultaneous exits of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, till the Proteas came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill was injured early on in the first Test and did not participate again in the series. However, that does not excuse or justify the side of the terribly sub-par showing in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to South Africa could damage India's chances of qualifying for the final of this cycle as well.
After being third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have fallen to fifth place. Although nine further games are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even against the strong Australian side. But the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in the longer format has been clearly revealed. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, India were considered invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an aberration.
Today, the team appear to be beatable at home.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to help their style failed miserably, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from turners to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has taken away the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would pose to them in the past.
Even though there is some truth in these views, it still does not explain why the side's results at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified several failings after the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the side.
Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The review also included the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
