The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. This represented the Proteas' first series win in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum built over the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition after the almost concurrent departures of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill was injured early on in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the team of the highly disappointing display in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and several players eyeing extended tenures in Tests were exposed as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by India in just a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 win which effectively cost India a berth in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of making the showpiece of this edition too.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to number five. Even though nine more Tests are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. But the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's frailty in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were regarded as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an anomaly.
Currently, India seem easy pickings at home.
Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they curated to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed abroad.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players take part, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would present to them before.
Even though there is some truth in these views, it fails to account for why India's performances at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not just a few causes.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies following the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not well enough to win matches.
Management Questions
The review didn't spare not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, spurred on by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
