India's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum built over the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the careers of several players - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a new captain, pointed to a successful handover following the almost concurrent departures of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. But that fails to account for the team of the highly disappointing showing in each match against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep at home endured by India in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied India a berth in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's chances of reaching the showpiece of this season as well.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to number five. Though nine further games are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the powerful Australians. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as invincible in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Today, India appear to be beatable at home.
Versus New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is failing at home because home surfaces have been modified from turners to fast tracks to train the squad to do well overseas.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has removed the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it does not clarify why the side's results at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Most former players identify a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to various flaws following the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the side.
Members like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The review targeted not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also criticized, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
