"Teams used to be scared to come to India to play Test cricket," says former cricketer Dinesh Karthik
There was a time when the mere prospect of playing a Test series in India sent shivers down the spines of visiting sides. The home team’s fortress seemed impenetrable, their dominance on familiar pitches near-absolute, and the crowd’s roar an unspoken warning to anyone daring enough to challenge them. For years, India’s home Test record was a symbol of consistency and psychological supremacy, a benchmark that touring sides could only dream of reaching.
That image of invincibility, however, has taken a serious hit over the past twelve months. The fortress that once seemed unassailable has now been breached twice, leaving fans and cricket pundits alike questioning the team’s dominance on home soil. Last year, New Zealand delivered a stunning blow, sweeping India 3-0 in a home series—a result that shocked the cricketing world and ended a remarkable 12-year streak of home-series victories. Though that defeat had slowly faded from immediate memory, it was always a warning sign that the team’s aura of invincibility was not eternal.
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Now, South Africa’s recent 2-0 victory has amplified that unease, delivering yet another seismic shock to local supporters. The consecutive home losses, against two very different sides, suggest that India’s Test team is no longer the untouchable force it once appeared to be. The pitches, the crowds, the home advantage—all the traditional weapons of dominance—have failed to prevent these reversals, exposing cracks that opponents are eager to exploit. For fans who once took pride in the team’s near-mythical home record, the message is stark: India’s supremacy in home Tests can no longer be taken for granted.
‘There was an aura around the Indian team at home. You can see it fading,’ commentator Harsha Bhogle wrote on X after India suffered their heaviest defeat by runs in Wednesday’s second Test.”
Head coach Gautam Gambhir was even booed in Guwahati after India suffered their fifth defeat in seven home Tests.
“Once lions at home, now lambs to the slaughter,” declared the Indian Express.
For a generation, India had been, in former Australia captain Steve Waugh’s words, the “final frontier,” where home spinners routinely tore apart touring sides on turning tracks.
“Teams used to be scared to come to India to play Test cricket,” player-turned-commentator Dinesh Karthik wrote on social media. “Now they must be licking their lips.”
These are tough times for India in Test cricket, and tough decisions might have to be taken,” commentators and former players alike have noted.
The team appears to be navigating a difficult transition phase following the retirements of batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, as well as off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Their departures have left gaps both in experience and in the tactical edge India once wielded with confidence.
One glaring concern is how spin—once India’s most potent weapon—is now being used against them. The once-familiar sight of nimble-footed, whippy-wristed Indian batters dominating spin has faded, replaced by the dismay of watching South Africa off-spinner Simon Harmer wreak havoc, taking 17 wickets across the two Tests.
India’s 201 runs in Guwahati, the highest innings total of the series, highlighted the struggles, with only Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja managing fifties across four innings. Despite deploying four spinners in the first Test and three in the second, India could not unsettle the South African batters, who showed both the skill and strategic acumen to master turn.
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Yet there are glimmers of resilience. Captain Shubman Gill, sidelined for the second Test with a neck injury, remained optimistic, emphasizing growth through adversity. “Calm seas don’t teach you how to steer; it’s the storm that forges steady hands,” he wrote on social media. “We’ll continue to believe in each other, fight for each other, and move forward—rising stronger.”
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