India's unexpected 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in India in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's strong showing in England this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a seamless changeover after the almost concurrent departures of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill suffered an injury very early in the first Test and did not participate again in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members hoping for lengthy Test careers were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
It was the second series sweep at home suffered by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas risks harming the team's hopes of reaching the final of this edition also.
From number three in the Test championship standings before the series, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Though nine more Tests are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even when facing the mighty Aussies. But the failures against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason India have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an aberration.
Today, India look to be beatable on home turf.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they developed to suit their strengths failed miserably, as the opposition used them more effectively, beating the home team's players when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that India is failing at home because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars play, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would present to them earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it still does not explain the reason India's performances at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted several failings post India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was clear in the performances of the squad.
Players like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - team selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
