India's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, South Africa handed India a record loss in Test cricket, against all odds. It marked the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the last several months has largely dissipated and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a successful handover following the almost concurrent exits of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the start of the domestic season strengthened that view, till the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill got injured quickly in the first Test and did not participate again in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard showing in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations suffered, and a few members hoping for lengthy Test careers were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep at home experienced by India in just a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of qualifying for the final of this season as well.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - including against the powerful Australians. Yet the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. However, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that helped spin and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Today, India look to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that India is failing at home because local wickets have been changed from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has removed the mystery and hardship home wickets would challenge them with earlier.
While there is some truth in these views, it does not clarify why India's performances at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies post the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the displays of the team.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - fell short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted just the players - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, spurred on by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
