The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The young team's commendable display in England this season, under a fresh leadership, indicated a smooth transition following the close together departures of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the domestic season boosted that belief, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill was injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. However, that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing display in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which effectively cost India a spot in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming the team's chances of qualifying for the showpiece of this season also.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the mighty Aussies. However the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests at home recently is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an aberration.
Today, the team look to be vulnerable at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is struggling at home because local wickets have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better overseas.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which several international stars participate, has taken away the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.
While there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain why the side's results at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars point to a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a few causes.
Experts and participants have highlighted several failings following India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the side.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - came up short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not well enough to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also criticized, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
