The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India a record defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm built over the past six months has all but vanished and the prospects of a number of cricketers - along with team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in England this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a seamless changeover following the close together retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill got injured very early in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. However, that fails to account for the squad of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and several players hoping for extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This represented the second clean sweep at home experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which practically cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to South Africa could damage the team's prospects of reaching the decider of this season as well.
From number three in the Test championship standings before the series, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine more Tests are remaining, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. However the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Currently, the team look to be beatable on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to favor their game went wrong completely, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling at home because local wickets have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to do well abroad.
A few mention that the IPL, in which many overseas players take part, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them earlier.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.
Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies post the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, regular alterations of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the squad.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - were found wanting in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The review targeted just the players - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, driven by upset followers and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
