The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the futures of multiple squad members - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The young team's impressive performance in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover following the close together exits of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season enhanced that perception, till the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were a bit unlucky that leader Gill got injured quickly in the initial match and did not participate again in the series. Yet that does not excuse or justify the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second whitewash at home suffered by India in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had secured a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a spot in the WTC final.
The latest loss to South Africa risks harming the team's chances of making the decider of this edition too.
After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have dropped to number five. Though nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even when facing the powerful Australians. But the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, why India have struggled so much in Test matches at home lately is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that assisted spinners and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an aberration.
Currently, India seem easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition used them more effectively, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is failing at home because local wickets have been changed from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would pose to them before.
Although there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for why the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a few causes.
Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies after India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Members such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, spurred on by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
