The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The winning rhythm built over the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The emerging side's impressive performance in England this season, under a fresh leadership, indicated a smooth transition following the close together exits of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home season boosted that belief, before the South Africans came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing performance in each match against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a berth in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to South Africa threatens to derail India's chances of reaching the final of this season too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Although nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even against the powerful Australians. However the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, why the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, the team seem easy pickings on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition used them more effectively, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to prepare players to succeed overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with in the past.
Even though there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify why India's performances at home have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not only a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies after India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the performances of the side.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also under fire, spurred on by disappointed supporters and critical former players. At the centre of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
