The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and the host nation's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm established in the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of a number of cricketers - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, indicated a successful handover after the close together exits of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign strengthened that view, until the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill got injured very early in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the highly disappointing display in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 triumph which effectively cost the hosts a berth in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail India's hopes of qualifying for the final of this season too.
After being third in the WTC table before the series, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even when facing the strong Australian side. But the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. However, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches at home recently is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Now, India seem beatable on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that India is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.
While there is validity in these views, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a few causes.
Experts and participants have pointed to several failings following the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - were found wanting in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem targeted just the players - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
