Key Points
- Harsha Bhogle said India’s once-feared home aura has “disappeared in the distance,” reflecting a deep decline.
- Sunil Gavaskar slammed India’s technique and temperament, saying the team has “forgotten the basics” of playing spin.
- Former players criticised India’s complacency and overreliance on home conditions, arguing the team is being outplayed on its own pitches.
ISLAMABAD: India’s once-impenetrable home Test fortress now lies shaken, as South Africa’s 2-0 sweep has triggered a storm of criticism from former players, commentators, and fans who watched the team’s aura of dominance evaporate on familiar turning tracks.
For over a decade, India at home was cricket’s most daunting challenge, a venue where world-class batters fell to spin and visiting teams crumbled under pressure. But after New Zealand’s 3-0 whitewash last year and now a ruthless South Africa, that legacy appears under threat.
Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle summed up the sentiment with a blunt assessment on social media: “There was an aura around Indian cricket at home. You can see it disappearing in the distance.”
There was an aura around the Indian team when playing in India. You can see it disappearing in the distance…..
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 26, 2025
But the sharpest words came from Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar, who delivered a scathing critique on television after India slumped to their heaviest defeat (by runs) at home in the second Test.
Gavaskar questioned India’s technique, temperament, and preparation, saying the team had “forgotten the basics of playing quality spin.”
“You cannot call yourself a top Test side if you are being outplayed on your own pitches, ball after ball, session after session,” he remarked. Gavaskar warned that the decline was not a blip but a “visible pattern,” urging selectors to make “hard, uncomfortable decisions.”
Batting Collapse Exposes Vulnerabilities
India’s batting, historically built on mastery of spin, faltered miserably. Their highest total in the series was just 201, with only Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja managing a fifty across four innings. South African off-spinner Simon Harmer exploited India’s indecision, claiming a staggering 17 wickets in two Tests.
Gavaskar was particularly critical of the middle order, calling it “tentative, underprepared, and shockingly passive” against spin, a far cry from the days when Indian batters were feared for their footwork and wristy precision.
Bowling Strategy Under Fire
India fielded four spinners in the first Test and three in the second, but none could apply sustained pressure on South Africa’s batters, who played with clarity and discipline. Former players suggested that India’s overreliance on home conditions had bred complacency.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir faced boos in Guwahati as India suffered their fifth defeat in seven home Tests, an unheard-of statistic in the last decade.
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End of an Era, Start of Turbulence
The team’s struggles reflect a difficult transition phase. With Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin having retired from Test cricket, India has lost not only experience but tactical sharpness and dressing-room leadership.
Gavaskar noted that filling those shoes was “never going to be easy,” but insisted that the current slide shows “a deeper issue than just missing senior players.”
Shubman Gill Strikes an Optimistic Note
Despite the gloom, captain Shubman Gill remained defiant. After missing the second Test due to a neck injury, he posted a message of resilience: “Calm seas don’t teach you how to steer; it’s the storm that forges steady hands. We will rise stronger.”
