The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory gained during the last several months has largely dissipated and the prospects of multiple squad members - as well as head coach the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The young team's impressive performance in England this season, under a fresh leadership, indicated a smooth transition following the near-simultaneous exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the domestic season boosted that belief, until the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and a few members aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second series sweep at home experienced by India in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's chances of making the decider of this season too.
After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have fallen to number five. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. Yet the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, why India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, the team look to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they curated to suit their strengths failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not just a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to several failings following India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the team.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The review targeted the entire setup - selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, driven by upset followers and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
