🔗 Share this article

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

Just days ago, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.

The positive trajectory established in the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.

A Promising Start Disappears

The new-look squad's commendable display in England this season, under a new captain, suggested a seamless changeover after the near-simultaneous retirements of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the home season enhanced that perception, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.

India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. However, that fails to account for the team of the terribly sub-par showing in both Tests against South Africa.

A number of star cricketers took a hit, and a few members aspiring to long red-ball careers were shown as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.

Concerning History

This represented the second series sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 triumph which effectively cost the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail India's hopes of making the showpiece of this cycle also.

From number three in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Although nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.

Roots of the Decline

India's weakness in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil recently is remains puzzling.

In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an exception.

Currently, the team appear to be vulnerable on home turf.

Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they curated to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.

The Core Issue

A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.

Some point out that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them in the past.

Although there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for why India's performances on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.

Various Shortcomings

The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.

Experts and participants have identified multiple deficiencies post India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.

This was evident in the displays of the squad.

Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.

Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but inadequately to secure victories.

Management Questions

The analysis didn't spare just the players - selectors and support staff were also criticized, driven by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.

In his post-series press