The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, South Africa handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, against all odds. It was South Africa's first series win in India in two and a half decades and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the careers of several players - including head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The young team's commendable display in the UK this season, under a new captain, suggested a smooth transition post the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign enhanced that perception, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill was injured quickly in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that fails to account for the squad of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and multiple individuals hoping for lengthy Test careers were exposed as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second series sweep on home soil suffered by India in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's chances of making the showpiece of this cycle too.
From number three in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine more Tests are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why India have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, India were seen as impregnable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Today, India look to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they curated to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been changed from spinning tracks to fast tracks to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would pose to them in the past.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason India's performances at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.
Critics and players have highlighted various flaws after the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but inadequately to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. Under focus of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
