India's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, South Africa gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in India in two and a half decades and India's second home series loss in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the past six months has all but vanished and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's impressive performance in England this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition after the near-simultaneous retirements of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the home season enhanced that perception, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. But that fails to account for the squad of the well below standard display in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions endured by India in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which essentially denied India a place in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas risks harming India's hopes of reaching the showpiece of this cycle also.
From number three in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Although nine further games are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. But the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, India look to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they developed to favor their game went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would present to them before.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for why the side's results at home have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars identify a complicated issue, not limited to a few causes.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies post India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, poor choices, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - came up short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis targeted the entire setup - team selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was head coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
