India's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory gained during the previous half-year has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover following the close together departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the domestic season boosted that belief, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury very early in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. But that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing performance in each match against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members hoping for lengthy Test careers were shown as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This was the second whitewash in home conditions endured by India in just a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming India's hopes of qualifying for the showpiece of this edition as well.
After being third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have dropped to fifth place. Although nine additional matches are remaining, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. But the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests at home in recent times is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, India were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an aberration.
Currently, the team seem vulnerable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they prepared to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is floundering at home because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would present to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Most former players point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified several failings following India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the team.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - fell short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
