🔗 Share this article

India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' first series win in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.

The positive trajectory gained during the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the futures of multiple squad members - along with head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.

Initial Hope Disappears

The new-look squad's commendable display in England this season, under a fresh leadership, indicated a smooth transition after the almost concurrent retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the home campaign strengthened that view, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.

India were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. But that fails to account for the team of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against the opposition.

Several established players were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.

Worrying Trend

This was the second whitewash in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a spot in the WTC final.

The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of qualifying for the decider of this season also.

Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have dropped to number five. Though nine further games are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a major plus - including against the strong Australian side. However the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.

Causes of the Fall

India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Tests at home recently is still bewildering.

Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an exception.

Now, the team appear to be beatable in their own backyard.

Against New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents used them more effectively, outplaying the home team's players when it mattered most.

The Core Issue

Certain analysts propose that India is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to succeed in foreign conditions.

Some point out that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players take part, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.

While there is some truth in these views, it does not clarify why the side's results at home have experienced such a staggering decline.

Multiple Failings

The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not just a few causes.

Analysts and squad members have highlighted various flaws post India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, poor choices, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.

This was clear in the showings of the squad.

Cricketers like 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 looking to cement their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.

A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.

Management Questions

The review targeted just the players - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by disappointed supporters and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.

In his post-series press