India's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in 25 years and the host nation's second home series loss in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a seamless changeover after the almost concurrent departures of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the well below standard performance in both Tests against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and a few members hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second whitewash on home soil suffered by India in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 win which practically cost India a berth in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming India's chances of making the decider of this season too.
After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to fifth place. Though nine more Tests are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, India were regarded as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Currently, the team seem vulnerable on home turf.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they curated to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to succeed overseas.
Some point out that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players participate, has removed the mystery and hardship home wickets would challenge them with in the past.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws post the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, regular alterations of the team lineup, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the side.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to secure victories.
Management Questions
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - the selection panel and support staff were also questioned, driven by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
