Unconquerable A Thing of the Past: The Reasons The Indian Test Cricket Reputation Is in Tatters

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

In the final match, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.

The positive trajectory established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the prospects of several players - as well as head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.

A Promising Start Fades Quickly

The new-look squad's strong showing in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a successful handover after the near-simultaneous retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, before the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.

The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against the opposition.

A number of star cricketers took a hit, and a few members aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.

Worrying Trend

This represented the second clean sweep at home experienced by India in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of reaching the showpiece of this edition also.

Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, India have dropped to fifth place. Though nine further games are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even when facing the strong Australian side. Yet the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.

Causes of the Fall

India's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, why the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil recently is remains puzzling.

Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.

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

Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they curated to favor their game went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.

What Happened?

Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to perform better in foreign conditions.

Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them before.

Although there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have seen such a sharp fall.

Various Shortcomings

The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not only one or two factors.

Critics and players have pointed to various flaws following the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.

This was clear in the showings of the team.

Members like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.

A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but inadequately to claim wins.

Leadership Under Fire

The review didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, spurred on by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.

During his post-series press