The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, South Africa handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the careers of multiple squad members - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a successful handover following the close together exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, till the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill suffered an injury quickly in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. However, that does not excuse or justify the squad of the highly disappointing display in each match against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and multiple individuals hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This was the second whitewash on home soil endured by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail India's prospects of reaching the showpiece of this season too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table before the series, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.
Today, India appear to be beatable on home turf.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is failing at home because home surfaces have been changed from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would present to them in the past.
While there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars identify a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted various flaws after the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - came up short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis targeted not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, driven by upset followers and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
