India's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's maiden series victory 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 gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the careers of multiple squad members - along with team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The young team's strong showing in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover after the almost concurrent retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill got injured early on in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. Yet that fails to account for the side of the well below standard showing in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were exposed as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second whitewash on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a spot in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail India's prospects of reaching the decider of this edition also.
From number three in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to number five. Even though nine further games are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a major plus - including against the mighty Aussies. However the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil recently is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an anomaly.
Currently, the team seem beatable at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to favor their game went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to prepare players to succeed in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with before.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted various flaws after India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, 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 great things were anticipated, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also criticized, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. At the centre of the examination was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
