The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, South Africa handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and the host nation's another home failure in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the last several months has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - as well as team coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a new captain, suggested a smooth transition after the near-simultaneous exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home season strengthened that view, till the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill was injured quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and a few members eyeing extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash at home endured by India in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a place in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail India's prospects of making the showpiece of this edition too.
After being third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to number five. Although nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, competing on home turf would be a major plus - including against the powerful Australians. However the failures against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. However, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests at home recently is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an exception.
Today, the team seem vulnerable at home.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has removed the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
While there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify the reason India's performances on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars point to a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws following India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, poor choices, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - were found wanting in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The analysis also included the entire setup - team selectors and backroom team were also questioned, spurred on by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was head coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
