The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the careers of several players - as well as head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The young team's strong showing in England this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition post the almost concurrent retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign enhanced that perception, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par performance in the two games against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and multiple individuals hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second whitewash on home soil endured by India in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's chances of qualifying for the decider of this edition too.
After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine more Tests are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Now, the team appear to be easy pickings on home turf.
Against New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition used them more effectively, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.
Some point out that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would present to them before.
Although there is some truth in these views, it fails to account for why the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a multi-faceted challenge, not only one or two factors.
Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies following the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the team.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not well enough to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis also included just the players - the selection panel and backroom team were also criticized, fuelled by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the scrutiny was head coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
