The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, South Africa handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and the host nation's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory built over the past six months has largely dissipated and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Disappears
The emerging side's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover following the almost concurrent retirements of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill got injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. Yet that fails to account for the squad of the well below standard display in the two games against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to long red-ball careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep on home soil endured by India in just a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 win which practically cost India a place in the WTC final.
The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming India's prospects of qualifying for the showpiece of this season as well.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Although nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a major plus - including against the strong Australian side. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. That said, the reason India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Today, the team appear to be easy pickings at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they prepared to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to succeed in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for why the team's showings at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to multiple deficiencies after the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, poor choices, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - came up short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis targeted the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, spurred on by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
