The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the futures of several players - including head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The emerging side's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover following the almost concurrent retirements of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the commencement of the home season enhanced that perception, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill was injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing display in each match against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and several players aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second whitewash at home endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail the team's chances of making the showpiece of this season also.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have been relegated to fifth place. Although nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. However the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason India have fared so badly in Tests on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.
Today, India look to be beatable in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they curated to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been modified from turners to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players play, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with before.
Even though there is some truth in these views, it fails to account for the reason the side's results on home soil have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Most former players point to a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified various flaws following the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the squad.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - fell short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The review also included just the players - selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, spurred on by disappointed supporters and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
