India's unexpected 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of multiple squad members - including head mentor the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this season, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover following the almost concurrent departures of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home season enhanced that perception, till the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill was injured early on in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. Yet that does not excuse or justify the team of the terribly sub-par performance in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to long red-ball careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This represented the second series sweep at home experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming India's prospects of reaching the decider of this cycle also.
From number three in the WTC table prior to the contest, the side have dropped to fifth place. Though nine more Tests are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a major plus - even when facing the strong Australian side. However the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil recently is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, India were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an exception.
Now, India look to be beatable on home turf.
Versus New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to perform better overseas.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is validity in each argument, it fails to account for the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a multi-faceted challenge, not only a few causes.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies after India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis also included the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
