India's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum gained during the past six months has all but vanished and the careers of multiple squad members - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a successful handover post the near-simultaneous exits of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the home season boosted that belief, before the South Africans came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill was injured early on in the opening Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the side of the well below standard display in each match against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and multiple individuals hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
It was the second series sweep at home experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a berth in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's prospects of qualifying for the showpiece of this cycle as well.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in the longer format has been clearly revealed. However, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, India were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Today, the team look to be easy pickings on home turf.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition used them more effectively, beating the home team's players when it mattered most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been changed 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 participate, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them before.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain why India's performances on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Most former players point to a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted several failings after India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the team.
Members like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, spurred on by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
