The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It was South Africa's first series win in India in two and a half decades and India's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - as well as head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this season, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover following the close together exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the domestic season boosted that belief, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing showing in both Tests against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and several players eyeing extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a place in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's prospects of making the decider of this season as well.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. However the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. However, why India have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as invincible in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an exception.
Now, India look to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well overseas.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would challenge them with in the past.
Even though there is some truth in each argument, it fails to account for why the side's results at home have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars point to a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have identified several failings post the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, regular alterations of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the squad.
Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - were found wanting in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
