The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of a number of cricketers - along with head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this season, under a new captain, suggested a seamless changeover after the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill got injured very early in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were shown as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Concerning History
It was the second whitewash at home suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming the team's hopes of reaching the decider of this season as well.
From number three in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have dropped to number five. Though nine additional matches are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even when facing the strong Australian side. Yet the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on pitches that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an exception.
Now, India seem vulnerable on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to quick wickets to train the squad to succeed abroad.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with before.
Even though there is some truth in each argument, it fails to account for why India's performances on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars point to a complicated issue, not limited to a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted various flaws after India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the side.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not well enough to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted just the players - selectors and support staff were also questioned, spurred on by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
