India's shocking 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked the Proteas' first series win in India in 25 years 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 futures of multiple squad members - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Disappears
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a new captain, pointed to a seamless changeover following the near-simultaneous exits of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the home season boosted that belief, before the South Africans came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill got injured early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the team of the well below standard showing in each match against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and multiple individuals eyeing extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second series sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which practically cost the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail India's hopes of making the decider of this season also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table prior to the contest, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Though nine additional matches are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the strong Australian side. However the failures against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home in recent times is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an aberration.
Currently, the team seem beatable at home.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as rivals used them more effectively, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing at home because home surfaces have been modified from turners to fast tracks to train the squad to succeed in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them in the past.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it does not clarify why the team's showings at home have seen such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified several failings after the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, poor choices, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and prioritising limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - were found wanting in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, spurred on by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
