The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's first series win in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just one year 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 - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition after the almost concurrent departures of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the domestic season boosted that belief, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Gill was injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. Yet that fails to account for the team of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and several players aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second whitewash on home soil endured by India in just over a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a berth in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail India's chances of qualifying for the decider of this cycle also.
After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Although nine more Tests are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - including against the powerful Australians. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. However, the reason India have struggled so much in Test matches at home in recent times is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an exception.
Currently, the team appear to be easy pickings on home turf.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as opponents used them more effectively, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling at home because home surfaces have been changed from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would present to them before.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a few causes.
Experts and participants have identified several failings post India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review didn't spare not only the cricketers - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
