The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - as well as head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, suggested a successful handover post the almost concurrent retirements of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the commencement of the domestic season boosted that belief, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. However, that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par display in the two games against the opposition.
Some big reputations were damaged, and a few members eyeing long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second series sweep in home conditions suffered by India in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a spot in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of reaching the final of this season too.
From number three in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have fallen to fifth place. Even though nine further games are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even when facing the strong Australian side. But the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been clearly revealed. That said, why India have performed so poorly in Tests at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Currently, India seem easy pickings on home turf.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals used them more effectively, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling at home because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them earlier.
Although there is some truth in each argument, it still does not explain the reason the team's showings on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars diagnose a complicated issue, not only one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have identified multiple deficiencies following India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, poor choices, arrogance, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The review didn't spare just the players - selectors and support staff were also under fire, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
