India's surprising 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, contrary to predictions. It marked the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum gained during the last several months has almost disappeared and the prospects of multiple squad members - including team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The emerging side's strong showing in England this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition following the almost concurrent departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the domestic season enhanced that perception, until the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. But that does not excuse or justify the team of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep at home suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's hopes of qualifying for the final of this season as well.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Although nine additional matches are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an exception.
Today, the team look to be vulnerable at home.
Versus New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to suit their strengths failed miserably, as rivals used them more effectively, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with in the past.
Although there is some truth in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason India's performances on home soil have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified various flaws post India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but inadequately to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review didn't spare the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also under fire, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
