India's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The winning rhythm built over the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the futures of multiple squad members - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a smooth transition post the almost concurrent retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Gill was injured early on in the first Test and took no further part in the series. Yet that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing showing in each match against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and multiple individuals aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were exposed as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a place in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail the team's prospects of reaching the decider of this season too.
After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Even 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. But the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, India were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, the team appear to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Versus New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed abroad.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with in the past.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain the reason India's performances at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a few causes.
Experts and participants have identified various flaws after the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review targeted the entire setup - selectors and backroom team were also under fire, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. At the centre of the criticism was head coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
