The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover after the close together exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season boosted that belief, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury very early in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par display in both Tests against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage India's prospects of qualifying for the showpiece of this cycle too.
After being third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine more Tests are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even when facing the strong Australian side. But the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an exception.
Today, India appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they curated to suit their strengths failed miserably, as rivals used them more effectively, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling at home because home surfaces have been altered from spinning tracks to fast tracks to prepare players to succeed abroad.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has removed the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would present to them before.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the side's results on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws post India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the displays of the side.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - were found wanting in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The review targeted the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, fuelled by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
