India's surprising 0-2 loss 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. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory gained during the last several months has almost disappeared and the futures of multiple squad members - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The emerging side's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover post the close together departures of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season boosted that belief, until the Proteas came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury very early in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the well below standard performance in both Tests against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and several players aspiring to long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep at home suffered by India in just a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a staggering 3-0 triumph which practically cost the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage India's hopes of reaching the decider of this season also.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have dropped to number five. Although nine further games are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Today, the team seem vulnerable at home.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing at home because local wickets have been modified from turners to quick wickets to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with in the past.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies after the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was clear in the performances of the side.
Players such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review targeted just the players - team selectors and backroom team were also criticized, driven by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
