The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory built over the last several months has all but vanished and the careers of multiple squad members - as well as team coach the coach - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's impressive performance in England this season, under a fresh leadership, indicated a seamless changeover after the close together departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill was injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and a few members hoping for lengthy Test careers were exposed as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage the team's prospects of making the showpiece of this edition also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have been relegated to fifth place. Although nine additional matches are remaining, a majority are against Australia. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, the reason India have fared so badly in Tests at home recently is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were seen as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Now, India look to be beatable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they curated to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, surpassing the home team's players when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to succeed overseas.
Some point out that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them in the past.
While there is some truth in each argument, it fails to account for why the team's showings on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not just a few causes.
Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies following the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the displays of the squad.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - came up short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but inadequately to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis targeted just the players - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
