The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a seamless changeover after the close together exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the commencement of the home season strengthened that view, till the Proteas came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. But that fails to account for the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in the two games against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash at home suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which effectively cost the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to the Proteas could damage India's prospects of making the decider of this edition also.
From number three in the WTC rankings before the series, India have fallen to fifth place. Although nine more Tests are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home recently is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an exception.
Today, India appear to be easy pickings at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they developed to help their style failed miserably, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is struggling at home because home surfaces have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the IPL, in which several international stars play, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would present to them before.
While there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies after the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, regular alterations of the playing XI, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The review also included just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
