India's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm built over the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the careers of several players - as well as head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a new captain, indicated a smooth transition after the near-simultaneous exits of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season boosted that belief, till the South Africans came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
India were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill got injured early on in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard performance in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and a few members aspiring to long red-ball careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash at home suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which effectively cost India a place in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of making the showpiece of this edition also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have dropped to number five. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Currently, the team appear to be vulnerable on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from turners to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them earlier.
Even though there is validity in each argument, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars identify a complicated issue, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to several failings following India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, poor choices, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was clear in the displays of the team.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and 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.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The review also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, spurred on by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. Under focus of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
