The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in India in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - including head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Disappears
The young team's strong showing in England this season, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition following the close together exits of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the domestic season strengthened that view, till the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill suffered an injury early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the team of the terribly sub-par display in both Tests against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep at home suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a place in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's hopes of reaching the showpiece of this cycle also.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to fifth place. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - including against the strong Australian side. But the failures against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. However, the reason India have performed so poorly in Test matches at home recently is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that helped spin and benefited their players, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an anomaly.
Now, India look to be beatable on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they curated to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as rivals used them more effectively, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws after the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the team.
Players like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
