The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - including head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The emerging side's impressive performance in England this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition post the near-simultaneous departures of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the Proteas came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and several players eyeing lengthy Test careers were shown as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash on home soil experienced by India in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which practically cost India a spot in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of qualifying for the final of this cycle as well.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings before the series, India have dropped to number five. Although nine further games are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - including against the strong Australian side. However the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been badly exposed. However, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an anomaly.
Now, India appear to be beatable at home.
Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that India is floundering at home because home surfaces have been altered from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has reduced the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would present to them before.
While there is validity in these views, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only one or two factors.
Critics and players have identified several failings post India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the side.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - were found wanting in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis targeted just the players - team selectors and support staff were also under fire, spurred on by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
