The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory established in the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the careers of several players - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The new-look squad's impressive performance in England this season, under a fresh leadership, indicated a successful handover after the almost concurrent retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season boosted that belief, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill got injured very early in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that fails to account for the team of the highly disappointing display in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and a few members aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash on home soil endured by India in just more than a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's hopes of reaching the decider of this season too.
After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Though nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the mighty Aussies. However the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on surfaces that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an aberration.
Currently, the team appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would challenge them with in the past.
While there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players point to a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified multiple deficiencies after India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the side.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - came up short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not well enough to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was head coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
