India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum established in the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a successful handover post the almost concurrent departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the domestic season boosted that belief, until the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the side of the highly disappointing performance in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second series sweep in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a place in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage the team's hopes of qualifying for the decider of this season too.
After being third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's frailty in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, why the team have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an exception.
Now, the team look to be vulnerable at home.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they developed to favor their game went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would present to them before.
Although there is validity in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not just one or two factors.
Critics and players have highlighted several failings following the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was clear in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, driven by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
