The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum gained during the past six months has almost disappeared and the prospects of a number of cricketers - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition post the near-simultaneous exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the domestic season boosted that belief, till the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill was injured very early in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par display in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and several players aspiring to long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Worrying Trend
It was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage the team's chances of making the showpiece of this season as well.
After being third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, the side have fallen to fifth place. Although nine more Tests are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason India have struggled so much in Test matches at home in recent times is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on pitches that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Today, India look to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they developed to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would challenge them with before.
Although there is validity in each argument, it still does not explain the reason India's performances on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players diagnose a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws after the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the squad.
Members like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The review targeted the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also questioned, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. At the centre of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
