India's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The winning rhythm built over the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a successful handover following the almost concurrent retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign enhanced that perception, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill suffered an injury early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and a few members aspiring to lengthy Test careers were exposed as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second series sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a surprising 3-0 triumph which practically cost the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to South Africa risks harming India's chances of making the final of this season as well.
After being third in the WTC table prior to the contest, the side have fallen to fifth place. Although nine further games are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. But the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why the team have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered 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. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Currently, India appear to be vulnerable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to succeed abroad.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which several international stars participate, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would present to them before.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for why India's performances on home soil have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws following the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the squad.
Players such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - selectors and support staff were also questioned, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
