India's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the careers of a number of cricketers - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a new captain, indicated a smooth transition following the near-simultaneous retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season enhanced that perception, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing display in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for long red-ball careers were exposed as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
It was the second clean sweep at home endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's prospects of reaching the showpiece of this edition as well.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. But the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
India's frailty in the longer format has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil recently is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, India were regarded as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that helped spin and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Now, the team seem beatable at home.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been modified from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the IPL, in which several international stars play, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them before.
While there is some truth in these views, it fails to account for why the side's results at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players point to a complicated issue, not only one or two factors.
Critics and players have identified several failings following the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.
This was clear in the showings of the squad.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but inadequately to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - team selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
