The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum gained during the last several months has almost disappeared and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition following the close together retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the domestic season enhanced that perception, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill was injured very early in the first Test and took no further part in the series. But that does not excuse or justify the team of the well below standard performance in the two games against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash at home endured by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 triumph which effectively cost the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to South Africa threatens to derail the team's prospects of making the final of this cycle also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Though nine further games are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. But the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been badly exposed. However, why the team have performed so poorly in Tests at home recently is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, the team look to be easy pickings at home.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals used them more effectively, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is floundering at home because home surfaces have been altered from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.
While there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players identify a complicated issue, not only one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted multiple deficiencies post India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review didn't spare not only the cricketers - selectors and support staff were also under fire, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
