India's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, South Africa handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The new-look squad's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover after the almost concurrent retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, before the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and took no further part in the series. But that does not excuse or justify the squad of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had secured a staggering 3-0 triumph which practically cost the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail the team's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this season too.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, India have dropped to number five. Although nine further games are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a major plus - including against the mighty Aussies. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil recently is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, India dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, the team appear to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to perform better overseas.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them before.
Even though there is validity in these views, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings at home have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not only a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to several failings after the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the side.
Players like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - fell short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not well enough to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and support staff were also questioned, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
