The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum gained during the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a smooth transition after the almost concurrent departures of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season enhanced that perception, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury very early in the initial match and did not participate again in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par display in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This represented the second series sweep at home suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a place in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of reaching the decider of this season as well.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Though nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even when facing the powerful Australians. But the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Tests at home lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that helped spin and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Today, India seem easy pickings on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they developed to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed overseas.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with in the past.
Although there is some truth in each argument, it still does not explain the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complicated issue, not only a few causes.
Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies following the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - were found wanting in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press