India's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' first series win in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm established in the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition after the near-simultaneous exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the home season enhanced that perception, before the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill got injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the team of the well below standard performance in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and a few members aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were exposed as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
This represented the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a place in the WTC final.
The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming India's hopes of making the final of this season also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table before the series, India have been relegated to fifth place. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. However the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in Test cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Today, the team appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to succeed in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with before.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain the reason the team's showings at home have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a multi-faceted challenge, not only a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have identified several failings after India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - were found wanting in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but inadequately to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - selectors and backroom team were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
