India’s Test ship falters in turbulent seas following captain Kohli’s exit

India's agonising 2-0 Test series loss to South Africa at home proved to be a bitter pill to swallow for many. From pundits to the die-hard fans of Indian cricket, everyone was gutted with the way the reigning World Test champions executed the capture of the citadel.

India lost the Guwahati Test by 408 runs - their biggest defeat in terms of runs and the second largest margin of victory for South Africa in their history. Though the shellacking India received was gruesome, they had suffered a similar outcome 394 days ago with a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand on home turf.

The 394-day figure holds significance as only once had Team India suffered two Test series losses while playing in their own conditions. They had lost 3-0 to the West Indies in 1958-59 and 2-1 to Australia in a span of 367 days.

Once considered a forte, India unravelled to the off-spinning brilliance of Simon Harmer. Harmer claimed 17 wickets at a mind-blowing average of 8.94 and was adjudged the Player of the Series.

Even in the series against the Kiwis, the Indian batters had no answers to the craft of Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel, who claimed 13 and 15 wickets, averaging 12.07 and 23.80, respectively.

While India's struggle against spin isn't a new phenomenon, their inability to hold the bastion in red-ball cricket is as it was not too long ago, when India humbled opponents on their turf under the sagacious leadership of Virat Kohli.

With Kohli at the helm, India won 24 out of the 31 Tests they played at home and drew five. The two losses came against Australia in Pune in February 2017 and England in Chennai in February 2021. Kohli had a win percentage of 77.4% at home and a loss percentage of a meagre 6.5%. 

India's record at home in Tests under Virat Kohli's captaincy

However, since Kohli's exit as red-ball captain following a 2-1 series loss to South Africa in January 2022, India's Test record at home has nosedived.

India's Test record at home after Virat Kohli's exit as captain

India have played 20 Tests on home soil following Kohli's unforeseen exit as captain, losing seven, and winning just 12, with a solitary draw. With Kohli gone from the Test arena, India are grappling with a painful transition and need to pull their socks up to get back to their heydays.