The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' first series win in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's second home series loss in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm gained during the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of a number of cricketers - along with head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a seamless changeover after the close together exits of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the highly disappointing showing in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash at home suffered by India in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage the team's prospects of reaching the showpiece of this season as well.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to number five. Although nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even against the strong Australian side. However the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason India have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil recently is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, India dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Now, the team seem beatable at home.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to do well overseas.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would present to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in these views, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to one or two factors.
Critics and players have pointed to various flaws following India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the side.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - fell short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The analysis targeted just the players - team selectors and support staff were also under fire, spurred on by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
