The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in India in 25 years and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the past six months has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - along with team coach the coach - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's strong showing in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover post the almost concurrent departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury quickly in the first Test and did not participate again in the contest. But that fails to account for the squad of the well below standard showing in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and several players aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by India in just a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied India a berth in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail India's chances of making the showpiece of this season also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have fallen to fifth place. Although nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, India were considered unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an exception.
Now, the team appear to be beatable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they curated to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that India is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with in the past.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for why the team's showings at home have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies following the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was obvious in the performances of the team.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. At the centre of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
