India's surprising 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum established in the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of several players - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, indicated a successful handover after the almost concurrent departures of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill was injured early on in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the team of the well below standard performance in each match against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and a few members aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were shown as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep in home conditions endured by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a spot in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming India's chances of reaching the decider of this edition too.
After being third in the WTC table prior to the contest, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Although nine further games are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even when facing the mighty Aussies. But the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason India have fared so badly in Tests at home recently is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Today, the team look to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to help their style failed miserably, as rivals used them more effectively, surpassing the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has reduced the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would pose to them before.
While there is some truth in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players point to a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted multiple deficiencies after India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the squad.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by upset followers and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was head coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
