🔗 Share this article

The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.

Earlier this week, South Africa handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's first series win in India in 25 years and the host nation's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.

The positive trajectory established in the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - along with team coach the coach - are now uncertain.

Early Optimism Vanishes

The young team's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover following the almost concurrent departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.

India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. But that fails to account for the team of the highly disappointing showing in both Tests against South Africa.

Several established players took a hit, and multiple individuals hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.

A Troubling Pattern

This represented the second clean sweep at home experienced by India in just a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a spot in the WTC final.

The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's chances of making the decider of this cycle too.

Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, India have been relegated to fifth place. Although nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. But the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.

Reasons for the Slump

India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Tests at home lately is continues to confuse.

From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling 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 aberration.

Today, India seem easy pickings at home.

Against the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they curated to favor their game went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.

What Happened?

Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing at home because home surfaces have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better overseas.

Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.

Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have seen such a sharp fall.

Several Weaknesses

Many past stars point to a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.

Analysts and squad members have identified several failings following the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.

This was evident in the showings of the squad.

Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.

A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.

Coaching Scrutiny

The analysis targeted just the players - selectors and support staff were also criticized, driven by upset followers and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.

During his post-series press