The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's first series win in India in two and a half decades and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The winning rhythm built over the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of multiple squad members - including team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, suggested a successful handover post the close together exits of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the domestic season strengthened that view, till the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and a few members hoping for extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This was the second series sweep at home suffered by India in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a surprising 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail India's prospects of making the decider of this edition as well.
From number three in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to number five. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason India have fared so badly in Tests at home lately is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an aberration.
Today, the team seem easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that India is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify why India's performances at home have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies post India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - were found wanting in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The review also included the entire setup - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, spurred on by upset followers and vocal past stars. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
