India's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The winning rhythm gained during the last several months has almost disappeared and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a seamless changeover following the close together departures of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the start of the home season enhanced that perception, till the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill suffered an injury very early in the first Test and took no further part in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Concerning History
It was the second whitewash on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of reaching the showpiece of this cycle also.
After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, India have fallen to fifth place. Even though nine further games are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. However the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, the reason India have fared so badly in Tests at home lately is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Currently, India appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Versus New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they prepared to suit their strengths failed miserably, as the opposition exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing at home because home surfaces have been modified from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to succeed in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain why the side's results at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies after the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the playing XI, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and critical former players. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
