India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory built over the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of a number of cricketers - including head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a smooth transition post the almost concurrent exits of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home campaign enhanced that perception, until the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury very early in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. But that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and several players hoping for extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep on home soil endured by India in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a berth in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail India's prospects of making the decider of this cycle too.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have dropped to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. But the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's weakness in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason India have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil in recent times is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Now, the team look to be vulnerable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as rivals exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that India is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would present to them in the past.
While there is validity in these views, it still does not explain why the team's showings at home have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to one or two factors.
Critics and players have highlighted various flaws following India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - were found wanting in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but inadequately to claim wins.
Management Questions
The review targeted just the players - team selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
