India's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has almost disappeared and the prospects of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The emerging side's strong showing in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover after the close together retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the home season enhanced that perception, before the Proteas came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing showing in each match against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and a few members hoping for extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This represented the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming the team's prospects of qualifying for the final of this season also.
After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, India have been relegated to number five. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. However the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an exception.
Currently, India look to be easy pickings at home.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they prepared to favor their game went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Some suggest that the Indian team is failing at home because local wickets have been changed from turners to quick wickets to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them before.
Although there is some truth in both analyses, it still does not explain the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars diagnose a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified several failings after the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the playing XI, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the squad.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem also included just the players - selectors and support staff were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
