🔗 Share this article

The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

Just days ago, South Africa handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.

The positive trajectory gained during the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.

Early Optimism Fades Quickly

The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a new captain, indicated a smooth transition following the close together departures of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home season strengthened that view, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.

The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the squad of the highly disappointing display in both Tests against the opposition.

A number of star cricketers took a hit, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were exposed as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.

A Troubling Pattern

This was the second whitewash on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 triumph which practically cost the hosts a place in the WTC final.

The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail India's prospects of reaching the decider of this cycle too.

Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings before the series, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even when facing the strong Australian side. However the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.

Reasons for the Slump

The national team's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Tests at home recently is still bewildering.

From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as impregnable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an exception.

Currently, the team look to be easy pickings on home turf.

Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition used them more effectively, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.

What's Gone Wrong?

Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better in foreign conditions.

Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with in the past.

Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for why the team's showings on home soil have witnessed such a staggering decline.

Various Shortcomings

Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only one or two factors.

Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies after the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.

This was evident in the performances of the squad.

Players such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - came up short in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.

A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.

Management Questions

The post-mortem also included just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. Under focus of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.

At his post-series press