The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent 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 positive trajectory established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the prospects of multiple squad members - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover after the close together exits of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the home season enhanced that perception, until the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Gill was injured quickly in the opening Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and a few members aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second series sweep on home soil experienced by India in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming India's hopes of making the decider of this season also.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine additional matches are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a major plus - including against the strong Australian side. However the failures against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been clearly revealed. However, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on pitches that helped spin and aided their squad, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Currently, India appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have identified several failings after the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the squad.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. At the centre of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
