India's unexpected 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked the Proteas' first series win in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm gained during the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - as well as team coach the coach - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Disappears
The new-look squad's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover post the almost concurrent retirements of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign strengthened that view, until the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill got injured early on in the first Test and took no further part in the series. However, that fails to account for the team of the terribly sub-par display in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations suffered, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were shown as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep in home conditions experienced by India in just over a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming the team's hopes of making the showpiece of this cycle as well.
After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine more Tests are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. Yet the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Today, the team seem beatable at home.
Against New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well overseas.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would present to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies post India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and prioritising limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the displays of the team.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The review didn't spare not only the cricketers - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
At his post-series press
