The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory established in the past six months has all but vanished and the prospects of a number of cricketers - along with head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The young team's strong showing in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover following the near-simultaneous departures of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the commencement of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard performance in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and multiple individuals eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by India in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming India's hopes of making the final of this edition too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table before the series, the side have dropped to fifth place. Although nine further games are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even when facing the powerful Australians. But the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason the team have struggled so much in Test matches at home recently is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on pitches that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Now, the team look to be beatable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the IPL, in which several international stars play, has reduced the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.
While there is validity in each argument, it still does not explain why India's performances at home have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified various flaws following India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the team lineup, and prioritising limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but inadequately to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem targeted just the players - the selection panel and support staff were also criticized, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
