India's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the prospects of several players - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, suggested a smooth transition post the almost concurrent departures of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, till the Proteas turned up and handed out a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill got injured early on in the initial match and took no further part in the series. But that fails to account for the team of the well below standard display in each match against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and several players hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second series sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a place in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail the team's prospects of making the decider of this cycle as well.
After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Although nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. However the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Currently, the team look to be vulnerable on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they prepared to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.
While there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it still does not explain why India's performances at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not just one or two factors.
Experts and participants have pointed to several failings after the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was clear in the showings of the team.
Members like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - came up short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but inadequately to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - selectors and support staff were also under fire, spurred on by disappointed supporters and critical former players. At the centre of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
