The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It marked the Proteas' first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm established in the past six months has all but vanished and the careers of multiple squad members - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The new-look squad's impressive performance in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover following the close together departures of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the home season boosted that belief, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing showing in each match against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were exposed as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to South Africa could damage the team's chances of reaching the showpiece of this season as well.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have been relegated to number five. Although nine additional matches are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a significant benefit - including against the powerful Australians. However the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have struggled so much in Tests at home recently is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Today, the team look to be beatable at home.
Versus New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The pitches they curated to favor their game failed miserably, as opponents exploited them better, outplaying the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling at home because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to succeed overseas.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it does not clarify why the side's results on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified various flaws after the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, poor choices, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the displays of the squad.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The analysis targeted the entire setup - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by upset followers and vocal past stars. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
