This was the second whitewash at home suffered by India in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which effectively cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail India’s prospects of reaching the final of this cycle too.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, India have been relegated to number five. Though nine more Tests are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a huge advantage – even against the mighty Aussies. But the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
India’s vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. That said, why India have performed so poorly in Tests at home recently is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and pitches that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an aberration.
Now, India look to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they prepared to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, outplaying India’s batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What’s gone wrong?
Some suggest that India is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to do well overseas.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has taken away the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would pose to them earlier.
While there is some truth in both analyses, it still does not explain why India’s performances at home have seen such a staggering decline.
