India's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a new captain, indicated a successful handover after the near-simultaneous departures of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill got injured very early in the first Test and did not participate again in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second whitewash on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a place in the WTC final.
The latest loss to South Africa threatens to derail the team's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this season as well.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have dropped to fifth place. Though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even when facing the mighty Aussies. But the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. However, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an anomaly.
Currently, India appear to be easy pickings on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that India is failing at home because local wickets have been altered from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has reduced the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would present to them in the past.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not only one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to multiple deficiencies following the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the displays of the side.
Members like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - selectors and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was head coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
