India's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the just finished Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was the Proteas' first series win in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, indicated a successful handover post the near-simultaneous retirements of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the squad of the well below standard performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 win which effectively cost India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage the team's hopes of reaching the decider of this cycle too.
After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, India have fallen to fifth place. Although nine more Tests are remaining, five of these are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a major plus - including against the powerful Australians. But the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, why the team have performed so poorly in Tests at home lately is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Currently, India look to be vulnerable on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition used them more effectively, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering at home because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets 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 seen such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Most former players identify a complicated issue, not limited to one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws after the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was evident in the displays of the team.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis didn't spare not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
