India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa gave India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a new captain, suggested a successful handover post the almost concurrent retirements of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the Proteas came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill got injured very early in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep in home conditions experienced by India in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a spot in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage the team's hopes of reaching the decider of this edition also.
After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have dropped to number five. Although nine more Tests are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. But the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, why India have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Today, the team appear to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that India is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to prepare players to do well abroad.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them before.
While there is validity in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Most former players point to a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to various flaws following the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, poor choices, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was obvious in the performances of the team.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but inadequately to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis also included the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also under fire, spurred on by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
At his post-series press
