India's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and the host nation's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - as well as head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover after the close together exits of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill got injured quickly in the first Test and did not participate again in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against the opposition.
Some big reputations suffered, and a few members hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second clean sweep in home conditions endured by India in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming the team's chances of making the final of this season also.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have been relegated to fifth place. Although nine more Tests are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - including against the mighty Aussies. But the failures against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason India have fared so badly in Tests at home lately is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an anomaly.
Today, the team look to be easy pickings on home turf.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better overseas.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would present to them earlier.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars identify a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified various flaws after the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was clear in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review also included the entire setup - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
