The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, South Africa gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's second home series loss in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - as well as head mentor the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The new-look squad's impressive performance in England this season, under a new captain, indicated a successful handover after the near-simultaneous retirements of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home season boosted that belief, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the side of the well below standard performance in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep at home endured by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of reaching the showpiece of this cycle as well.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - including against the strong Australian side. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have fared so badly in Test matches at home recently is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Today, the team appear to be easy pickings at home.
Versus New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they developed to favor their game failed miserably, as opponents used them more effectively, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to succeed in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would present to them in the past.
While there is validity in these views, it does not clarify why the side's results at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars point to a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified several failings after the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and prioritising limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the team.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
