The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. This represented the Proteas' first series win in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum built over the previous half-year has all but vanished and the careers of multiple squad members - including head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover following the almost concurrent retirements of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the team of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were shown as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 win which effectively cost India a spot in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's prospects of qualifying for the final of this season also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have been relegated to number five. Even though nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests at home in recent times is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Now, the team seem beatable in their own backyard.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The pitches they developed to favor their game went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from turners to quick wickets to prepare players to succeed in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in each argument, it does not clarify why the side's results on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to one or two factors.
Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies post India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the squad.
Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, spurred on by upset followers and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
