The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's first series win in India in two and a half decades and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum gained during the last several months has largely dissipated and the careers of several players - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The emerging side's commendable display in England this season, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition following the almost concurrent exits of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, before the Proteas came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill got injured very early in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second whitewash on home soil endured by India in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail India's prospects of reaching the showpiece of this season too.
After being third in the WTC table before the series, the side have dropped to fifth place. Even though nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. However the debacles 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 significantly highlighted. However, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that assisted spinners and aided their squad, India faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an exception.
Today, the team appear to be beatable in their own backyard.
Against the Kiwis 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 went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to succeed overseas.
A few mention that the IPL, in which several international stars participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with in the past.
While there is some truth in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have seen such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to one or two factors.
Critics and players have identified various flaws after the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the squad.
Players such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The review also included the entire setup - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
