India's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India a record defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum built over the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head coach the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's impressive performance in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover after the near-simultaneous exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill got injured very early in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. But that does not excuse or justify the side of the terribly sub-par showing in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members aspiring to long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This was the second whitewash on home soil suffered by India in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a berth in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's chances of making the decider of this edition too.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have fallen to number five. Although nine additional matches are remaining, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. However the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were regarded 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 brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an aberration.
Currently, the team appear to be vulnerable at home.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they prepared to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing 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 play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would present to them in the past.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for the reason India's performances on home soil have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have identified various flaws after India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was clear in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review targeted the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also criticized, driven by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
