India's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa gave India a record loss in Test cricket, against all odds. It marked South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the prospects of several players - including head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The young team's impressive performance in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover post the close together retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home season strengthened that view, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Gill was injured very early in the first Test and did not participate again in the series. Yet that does not excuse or justify the squad of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and multiple individuals eyeing long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a berth in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming India's hopes of qualifying for the decider of this season too.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have fallen to number five. Though nine further games are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. However the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an aberration.
Now, India appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering at home because local wickets have been altered from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to succeed in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with before.
While there is validity in each argument, it still does not explain the reason India's performances at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted various flaws following the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to secure victories.
Management Questions
The review didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, spurred on by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was head coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
