The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the prospects of a number of cricketers - as well as head coach the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover after the close together exits of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the domestic season boosted that belief, till the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep at home suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to South Africa could damage the team's prospects of qualifying for the final of this cycle also.
After being third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil recently is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Currently, India seem beatable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The pitches they developed to help their style backfired spectacularly, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is floundering at home because local wickets have been modified from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to succeed abroad.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would present to them in the past.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason India's performances on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified several failings following India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, regular alterations of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the performances of the team.
Players like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - were found wanting in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, spurred on by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
