The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum established in the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the futures of multiple squad members - including head mentor the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Disappears
The young team's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover following the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill was injured quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the team of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and several players eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second series sweep in home conditions experienced by India in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming India's chances of making the showpiece of this cycle also.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, India have fallen to fifth place. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been badly exposed. However, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as invincible in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an exception.
Now, the team seem easy pickings at home.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, outplaying the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing at home because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to quick wickets to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the IPL, in which several international stars take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would challenge them with earlier.
While there is validity in each argument, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted several failings following India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem also included just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
At his post-series press
