The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the futures of multiple squad members - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover following the almost concurrent departures of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home campaign enhanced that perception, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the first Test and did not participate again in the contest. But that fails to account for the team of the well below standard display in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash on home soil experienced by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a place in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's chances of reaching the final of this season also.
After being third in the WTC table before the series, the side have dropped to fifth place. Though nine more Tests are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the mighty Aussies. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
India's frailty in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why the team have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an aberration.
Currently, the team seem vulnerable at home.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to favor their game went wrong completely, as opponents used them more effectively, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to succeed overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would present to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it still does not explain why the team's showings at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified several failings following the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and prioritising limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the team.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and backroom team were also questioned, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
