India's unexpected 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory built over the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Disappears
The young team's strong showing in England this season, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover post the almost concurrent retirements of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, before the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill suffered an injury early on in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. However, that fails to account for the team of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members eyeing extended tenures in Tests were shown as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a spot in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage India's hopes of reaching the final of this cycle as well.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to number five. Even though nine further games are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - including against the powerful Australians. But the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, why India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil recently is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Today, the team appear to be vulnerable at home.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they developed to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling at home because local wickets have been altered from turners to quick wickets to train the squad to do well abroad.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them earlier.
Although there is validity in these views, it still does not explain why the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars identify a complicated issue, not limited to a few causes.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies after the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over the longer format.
This was evident in the displays of the squad.
Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to secure victories.
Management Questions
The review targeted just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, spurred on by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was head coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
