The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and India's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover after the near-simultaneous departures of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill was injured very early in the initial match and took no further part in the series. Yet that fails to account for the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals eyeing extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by India in just over a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming India's prospects of qualifying for the final of this season too.
From number three in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have been relegated to number five. Although nine additional matches are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a major plus - even when facing the strong Australian side. However the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an exception.
Now, the team seem beatable in their own backyard.
Versus New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they prepared to help their style failed miserably, as the opposition exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to succeed overseas.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players play, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is validity in these views, it does not clarify why the side's results on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players identify a complicated issue, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to several failings post the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
