The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a smooth transition following the almost concurrent retirements of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the domestic season strengthened that view, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill was injured early on in the first Test and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the squad of the well below standard showing in both Tests against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and several players eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which practically cost India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail India's prospects of reaching the showpiece of this edition also.
After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have been relegated to number five. Though nine further games are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a major plus - even when facing the mighty Aussies. However the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that assisted spinners and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an aberration.
Now, the team appear to be beatable at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they developed to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to succeed overseas.
Some point out that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them before.
Even though there is validity in each argument, it fails to account for why India's performances at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not only a few causes.
Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies following the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the squad.
Members like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - were found wanting in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, spurred on by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
