India's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum built over the last several months has almost disappeared and the futures of multiple squad members - along with head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Disappears
The young team's strong showing in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition after the almost concurrent departures of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the domestic season boosted that belief, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Gill suffered an injury very early in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the squad of the highly disappointing display in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for extended tenures in Tests were exposed as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 victory which practically cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming the team's hopes of making the decider of this cycle as well.
From number three in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. But the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Today, the team appear to be vulnerable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to favor their game went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is struggling at home because home surfaces have been modified from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to do well overseas.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which several international stars play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them before.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it does not clarify why the side's results on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a few causes.
Critics and players have identified several failings after the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Members like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - were found wanting in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis targeted the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
