The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa gave India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in 25 years and the host nation's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has all but vanished and the careers of several players - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a seamless changeover following the near-simultaneous retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill was injured early on in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par display in the two games against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and a few members aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second series sweep at home experienced by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a place in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming India's hopes of reaching the decider of this edition as well.
From number three in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have fallen to number five. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, a majority are against Australia. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - including against the mighty Aussies. But the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests at home lately is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an exception.
Currently, the team appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they developed to suit their strengths failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that India is failing at home because home surfaces have been modified from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better overseas.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it still does not explain the reason India's performances at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified several failings following India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the side.
Players such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - fell short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - team selectors and backroom team were also criticized, driven by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
