India's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition post the close together retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill got injured quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the team of the terribly sub-par display in the two games against the opposition.
Some big reputations suffered, and a few members hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by India in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a berth in the WTC final.
The latest loss to South Africa risks harming India's chances of making the decider of this season also.
From number three in the Test championship standings before the series, India have been relegated to number five. Although nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even when facing the strong Australian side. But the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home in recent times is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that helped spin and aided their squad, the hosts faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an exception.
Currently, the team seem beatable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling at home because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed abroad.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would present to them before.
Although there is some truth in these views, it still does not explain why India's performances on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to several failings following India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the team.
Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The review targeted not only the cricketers - selectors and support staff were also criticized, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
