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.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, against all odds. It marked South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory gained during the last several months has largely dissipated and the careers of multiple squad members - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The emerging side's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover following the almost concurrent departures of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, before the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill was injured quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par display in each match against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and a few members eyeing lengthy Test careers were shown as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by India in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas could damage the team's prospects of reaching the decider of this cycle also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table before the series, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Although nine further games are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a significant benefit - including against the powerful Australians. Yet the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil recently is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, India dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.
Currently, India seem easy pickings at home.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to help their style failed miserably, as opponents used them more effectively, surpassing the home team's players when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to succeed abroad.
Some point out that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with before.
Even though there is some truth in each argument, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted several failings post India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.
This was obvious in the performances of the team.
Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - fell short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted just the players - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
