India's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of multiple squad members - including head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover after the near-simultaneous retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, till the Proteas turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill was injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing showing in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were shown as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second series sweep at home experienced by India in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which practically cost India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming India's hopes of reaching the decider of this cycle too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table prior to the contest, India have been relegated to fifth place. Though nine more Tests are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil recently is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Today, India seem easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they curated to suit their strengths failed miserably, as the opposition exploited them better, outplaying the home team's players when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to do well abroad.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with before.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for why the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars point to a multi-faceted challenge, not only a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted multiple deficiencies following India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, regular alterations of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also under fire, spurred on by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was head coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
