The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, the visiting team inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of a number of cricketers - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover after the close together exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury very early in the initial match and took no further part in the series. Yet that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals hoping for long red-ball careers were exposed as not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second series sweep at home suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's hopes of qualifying for the showpiece of this edition too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Although nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. Yet the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil recently is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an anomaly.
Currently, the team look to be beatable in their own backyard.
Versus New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The pitches they prepared to help their style failed miserably, as the opposition used them more effectively, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would present to them in the past.
Although there is validity in these views, it still does not explain the reason the team's showings at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies post the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the side.
Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - came up short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
