🔗 Share this article

India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the just finished Test series has plunged the side into crisis.

Earlier this week, South Africa gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.

The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the careers of several players - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.

Early Optimism Fades Quickly

The emerging side's commendable display in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition post the near-simultaneous departures of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign enhanced that perception, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.

The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Gill suffered an injury early on in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the well below standard display in both Tests against South Africa.

Several established players suffered, and a few members eyeing extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.

A Troubling Pattern

It was the second series sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a place in the Test championship finale.

The latest loss to South Africa threatens to derail India's prospects of reaching the decider of this edition as well.

After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Although nine more Tests are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. However the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.

Reasons for the Slump

India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is still bewildering.

From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an anomaly.

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

Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the home team's players when it mattered most.

What Happened?

Some suggest that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to succeed abroad.

Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would challenge them with earlier.

Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain the reason the side's results on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.

Several Weaknesses

The majority of ex-cricketers identify a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to one or two factors.

Experts and participants have identified multiple deficiencies following the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.

This was clear in the displays of the team.

Players such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - were found wanting in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.

Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to secure victories.

Leadership Under Fire

The post-mortem also included the entire setup - selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.

During his post-series press