The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's first series win in India in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover post the close together retirements of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season boosted that belief, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the first Test and did not participate again in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing showing in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by India in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a berth in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail the team's hopes of reaching the decider of this season too.
From number three in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even against the powerful Australians. But the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an exception.
Now, the team look to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they curated to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is failing at home because local wickets have been altered from turners to fast tracks to train the squad to succeed overseas.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has removed the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would present to them earlier.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Most former players identify a complicated issue, not only one or two factors.
Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies after India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and prioritising limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the squad.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also criticized, spurred on by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
