India's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and the host nation's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the careers of several players - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a smooth transition after the close together retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign strengthened that view, till the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the first Test and did not participate again in the series. However, that fails to account for the team of the well below standard showing in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and a few members aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were shown as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second whitewash at home endured by India in just a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to South Africa could damage India's prospects of reaching the final of this cycle too.
From number three in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to fifth place. Though nine more Tests are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's weakness in the longer format has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason India have performed so poorly in Test matches at home recently is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, India look to be beatable on home turf.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they curated to help their style failed miserably, as the opposition exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is failing at home because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better abroad.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would challenge them with in the past.
Although there is validity in each argument, it fails to account for why India's performances on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws post India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to claim wins.
Management Questions
The analysis didn't spare just the players - team selectors and backroom team were also criticized, fuelled by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
