The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The young team's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a seamless changeover post the close together exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill was injured quickly in the initial match and took no further part in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing display in the two games against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and several players aspiring to long red-ball careers were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second whitewash on home soil endured by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage India's chances of making the final of this edition too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have dropped to fifth place. Although nine additional matches are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in the longer format has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason India have fared so badly in Test matches at home recently is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Now, the team appear to be easy pickings at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they curated to suit their strengths failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would pose to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason India's performances at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies following India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was clear in the showings of the squad.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and backroom team were also criticized, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
