The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It marked the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum gained during the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - as well as team coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Disappears
The young team's strong showing in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover after the close together exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home season enhanced that perception, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the squad of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and several players aspiring to long red-ball careers were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second series sweep at home experienced by India in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail India's hopes of making the showpiece of this edition too.
After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Although nine further games are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even against the mighty Aussies. But the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an exception.
Now, the team appear to be beatable on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they developed to suit their strengths failed miserably, as the opposition used them more effectively, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them in the past.
Although there is some truth in these views, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Most former players diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not just one or two factors.
Experts and participants have pointed to several failings following India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the playing XI, and prioritising limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
