India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent Test 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. It was South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory gained during the last several months has almost disappeared and the prospects of several players - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a seamless changeover following the near-simultaneous exits of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home season enhanced that perception, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill got injured very early in the initial match and did not participate again in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the highly disappointing performance in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the format.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep in home conditions experienced by India in just over a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming India's chances of reaching the showpiece of this cycle also.
After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. But the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests at home lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an anomaly.
Currently, the team look to be beatable on home turf.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would present to them in the past.
Although there is validity in both analyses, it still does not explain the reason the side's results on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not only one or two factors.
Experts and participants have identified several failings following the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the team.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also criticized, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
