India's surprising 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in two and a half decades and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the futures of multiple squad members - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a new captain, suggested a seamless changeover post the almost concurrent retirements of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the domestic season boosted that belief, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill got injured early on in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. But that does not excuse or justify the team of the terribly sub-par performance in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and several players aspiring to long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash at home experienced by India in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage the team's prospects of qualifying for the final of this season also.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have been relegated to fifth place. Although nine more Tests are remaining, a majority are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in the longer format has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Currently, India seem beatable at home.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to do well abroad.
A few mention that the IPL, in which many overseas players play, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would present to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.
Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies post India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the side.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - were found wanting in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The review targeted not only the cricketers - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
