The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head mentor the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in England this season, under a new captain, suggested a seamless changeover following the near-simultaneous retirements of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, till the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Gill got injured early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that fails to account for the squad of the terribly sub-par display in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and a few members hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This represented the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail the team's chances of qualifying for the decider of this cycle also.
From number three in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even when facing the strong Australian side. But the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. However, why the team have struggled so much in Tests at home lately is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as invincible in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an exception.
Now, India appear to be easy pickings at home.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they curated to help their style failed miserably, as the opposition exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would present to them earlier.
Even though there is some truth in these views, it does not clarify the reason India's performances on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws after the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, poor choices, arrogance, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the side.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
