India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the previous half-year has all but vanished and the prospects of a number of cricketers - including team coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition following the near-simultaneous retirements of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the home season boosted that belief, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill got injured early on in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the highly disappointing performance in each match against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to long red-ball careers were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage the team's prospects of making the decider of this cycle too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Although nine further games are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even against the strong Australian side. But the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason India have performed so poorly in Tests at home in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on surfaces that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Currently, India seem vulnerable at home.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they prepared to suit their strengths failed miserably, as the opposition used them more effectively, surpassing the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is struggling at home because home surfaces have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would present to them earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it still does not explain why the side's results on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws following India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the performances of the team.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not well enough to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
