India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's 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 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory established in the previous half-year has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this season, under a new captain, pointed to a successful handover after the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, until the Proteas came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and a few members hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second series sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had secured a surprising 3-0 victory which practically cost India a place in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail India's chances of qualifying for the final of this edition too.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, the side have fallen to number five. Although nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. But the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been badly exposed. However, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests at home recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on surfaces that helped spin and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Currently, India appear to be beatable at home.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to help their style failed miserably, as the opposition exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the IPL, in which many overseas players play, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them in the past.
Even though there is some truth in these views, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have identified multiple deficiencies after India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but not well enough to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press