The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in 25 years and the host nation's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory built over the past six months has largely dissipated and the careers of multiple squad members - along with team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Disappears
The new-look squad's impressive performance in England this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition after the close together departures of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the domestic season enhanced that perception, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Gill suffered an injury quickly in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. However, that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members hoping for lengthy Test careers were shown as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming India's hopes of making the decider of this edition too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Even though nine further games are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even against the powerful Australians. But the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's weakness in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that assisted spinners and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Currently, the team look to be beatable in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they developed to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to succeed abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would pose to them before.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it does not clarify the reason India's performances at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies following the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was obvious in the performances of the side.
Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - fell short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis also included just the players - selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, spurred on by upset followers and vocal past stars. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
