India's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa handed India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The winning rhythm gained during the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of several players - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover after the almost concurrent exits of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Shubman Gill was injured early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard performance in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and several players hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
It was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 win which effectively cost India a place in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail India's hopes of reaching the decider of this cycle also.
From number three in the WTC table prior to the contest, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even against the powerful Australians. Yet the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason India have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, India were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an exception.
Now, the team seem easy pickings on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to succeed overseas.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would present to them earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it does not clarify the reason India's performances on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars point to a complicated issue, not just a few causes.
Experts and participants have identified multiple deficiencies after India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over the longer format.
This was clear in the displays of the side.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The analysis targeted not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
