India's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum built over the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the futures of multiple squad members - as well as team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's strong showing in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, suggested a smooth transition after the close together exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season boosted that belief, before the Proteas came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill got injured very early in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and multiple individuals hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second whitewash on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a place in the WTC final.
The latest loss to the Proteas could damage the team's chances of reaching the final of this season too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Although nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have struggled so much in Test matches at home recently is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, India were considered invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, India appear to be vulnerable on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is failing at home because home surfaces have been altered from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to succeed overseas.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has taken away the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is some truth in both analyses, it fails to account for why the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players point to a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have highlighted various flaws following India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The review targeted the entire setup - the selection panel and backroom team were also criticized, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
