The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, South Africa gave India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's commendable display in England this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a seamless changeover following the almost concurrent exits of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill suffered an injury very early in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. However, that fails to account for the squad of the well below standard showing in both Tests against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second series sweep in home conditions experienced by India in just a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage the team's hopes of qualifying for the decider of this season also.
After being third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have dropped to fifth place. Even though nine further games are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a major plus - even when facing the strong Australian side. However the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an exception.
Currently, India seem easy pickings at home.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to prepare players to succeed in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has taken away the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would present to them earlier.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for why the side's results at home have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to one or two factors.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws following the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, poor choices, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - fell short in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, spurred on by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
