India's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa handed India a record loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in India in 25 years and the host nation's second defeat at home in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the futures of several players - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover after the close together departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, before the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill suffered an injury quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. However, that fails to account for the team of the terribly sub-par performance in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This represented the second whitewash on home soil suffered by India in just over a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a surprising 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage India's hopes of making the showpiece of this edition as well.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to fifth place. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a major plus - even when facing the strong Australian side. However the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in the longer format has been clearly revealed. That said, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as invincible in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an anomaly.
Today, India seem beatable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that India is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to succeed in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has removed the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify why India's performances on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have identified multiple deficiencies post India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The analysis targeted just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the criticism was head coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
