India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory gained during the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the careers of a number of cricketers - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in the UK this season, under a new captain, pointed to a seamless changeover following the near-simultaneous retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign enhanced that perception, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard performance in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and several players aspiring to lengthy Test careers were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a staggering 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a place in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage the team's prospects of making the decider of this edition as well.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have been relegated to number five. Even though nine further games are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a major plus - including against the strong Australian side. However the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in Test cricket has been badly exposed. However, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.
Today, India look to be easy pickings at home.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they curated to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to prepare players to do well abroad.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would challenge them with in the past.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain why the team's showings at home have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted several failings after the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the displays of the squad.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also questioned, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
