India's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' first series win in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum gained during the last several months has almost disappeared and the careers of several players - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a successful handover post the almost concurrent exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the domestic season enhanced that perception, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Gill got injured quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the series. But that does not excuse or justify the team of the highly disappointing showing in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
It was the second whitewash on home soil suffered by India in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a berth in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail India's hopes of qualifying for the decider of this edition also.
From number three in the Test championship standings before the series, India have dropped to fifth place. Although nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even when facing the strong Australian side. But the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Today, India seem vulnerable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they prepared to help their style failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to succeed overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them before.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain the reason the team's showings on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a few causes.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies after the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the playing XI, 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, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - team selectors and backroom team were also criticized, spurred on by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
