The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory built over the last several months has almost disappeared and the careers of a number of cricketers - along with head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a smooth transition post the almost concurrent departures of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a bit unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and did not participate again in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the highly disappointing showing in both Tests against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and a few members eyeing lengthy Test careers were exposed as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second series sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 win which practically cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage India's chances of reaching the final of this cycle as well.
From number three in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Today, India appear to be beatable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they curated to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would present to them earlier.
Even though there is some truth in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason India's performances at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players point to a complicated issue, not limited to one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have identified several failings following the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the squad.
Members such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and backroom team were also criticized, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
