The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has almost disappeared and the careers of several players - along with head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The new-look squad's strong showing in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, suggested a smooth transition post the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, before the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were a bit unlucky that leader Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the squad of the well below standard showing in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and several players aspiring to lengthy Test careers were shown as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep on home soil endured by India in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming India's hopes of qualifying for the decider of this cycle also.
From number three in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to number five. Although nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even when facing the strong Australian side. Yet the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests at home recently is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Today, India appear to be vulnerable at home.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as opponents used them more effectively, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that India is struggling at home because local wickets have been modified from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with before.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain the reason the team's showings on home soil have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars point to a complicated issue, not limited to a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted several failings after India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the team.
Members such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, fuelled by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
