The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, South Africa gave India a record defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum built over the last several months has all but vanished and the careers of multiple squad members - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a successful handover post the near-simultaneous retirements of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill was injured early on in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the team of the well below standard display in each match against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a berth in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail India's hopes of reaching the decider of this season also.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have dropped to number five. Although nine further games are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. However, why India have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Currently, India seem vulnerable at home.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they prepared to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would present to them before.
While there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain the reason India's performances at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not only one or two factors.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies after the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the side.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The analysis targeted just the players - team selectors and support staff were also under fire, spurred on by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
