The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, South Africa handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The winning rhythm gained during the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the careers of multiple squad members - including head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a seamless changeover following the close together exits of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign strengthened that view, until the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the initial match and took no further part in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing performance in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for lengthy Test careers were shown as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second series sweep at home endured by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which practically cost the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming the team's prospects of reaching the decider of this season as well.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have dropped to number five. Even though nine more Tests are remaining, five of these are against the Aussies. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - including against the strong Australian side. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's weakness in Test cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an anomaly.
Currently, the team appear to be easy pickings at home.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they curated to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as rivals used them more effectively, beating the home team's players when it mattered most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not only one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have identified various flaws after the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and prioritising limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the side.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - came up short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - team selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, fuelled by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
