India's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' first series win in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum gained during the past six months has all but vanished and the careers of several players - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The emerging side's commendable display in the UK this season, under a new captain, indicated a successful handover post the near-simultaneous departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign strengthened that view, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par performance in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and a few members hoping for extended tenures in Tests were exposed as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This represented the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage the team's prospects of reaching the showpiece of this cycle also.
From number three in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have been relegated to fifth place. Although nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. However the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why the team have struggled so much in Tests at home lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, India were regarded as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Today, India seem vulnerable at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to favor their game went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing at home because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better overseas.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would present to them before.
While there is some truth in both analyses, it does not clarify why the team's showings at home have seen such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws post India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - were found wanting in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The review also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, spurred on by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
