🔗 Share this article

The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.

Just days ago, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.

The positive trajectory gained during the last several months has largely dissipated and the careers of multiple squad members - along with head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.

Initial Hope Fades Quickly

The young team's strong showing in the UK this season, under a new captain, suggested a successful handover after the almost concurrent departures of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.

India were a bit unlucky that leader Gill got injured very early in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against the opposition.

A number of star cricketers were damaged, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were shown as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.

Concerning History

It was the second clean sweep on home soil endured by India in just a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming the team's hopes of making the final of this edition too.

After being third in the WTC table before the series, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even when facing the strong Australian side. However the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for that confidence.

Roots of the Decline

The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. However, why India have fared so badly in Tests on home soil recently is still bewildering.

In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an aberration.

Today, the team seem vulnerable at home.

Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they developed to favor their game went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.

The Core Issue

A few experts argue that India is floundering at home because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.

A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty home wickets would present to them before.

Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain why India's performances at home have seen such a dramatic drop.

Several Weaknesses

The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.

Critics and players have identified various flaws after India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.

This was obvious in the showings of the side.

Players like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.

Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but inadequately to secure victories.

Leadership Under Fire

The post-mortem also included just the players - selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.

In his post-series press