The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The emerging side's commendable display in England this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a seamless changeover post the almost concurrent retirements of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the home campaign strengthened that view, until the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the opening Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par display in both Tests against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and several players eyeing lengthy Test careers were shown as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second whitewash at home endured by India in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which effectively cost India a place in the WTC final.
The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming the team's hopes of making the final of this cycle too.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have fallen to number five. Though nine more Tests are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. However the failures against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Tests at home lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.
Today, the team look to be beatable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it still does not explain why the side's results on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have highlighted various flaws post the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the side.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, 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 lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - team selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
