The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa handed India a record loss in Test cricket, against all odds. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - as well as head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover post the close together exits of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. Yet that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing display in each match against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep at home endured by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 triumph which effectively cost the hosts a berth in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail the team's prospects of making the showpiece of this cycle too.
After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an exception.
Now, India appear to be beatable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to favor their game failed miserably, as opponents used them more effectively, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to succeed in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the IPL, in which several international stars play, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.
Although there is some truth in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings on home soil have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws after the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the team.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - selectors and support staff were also criticized, spurred on by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
