The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the prospects of a number of cricketers - as well as team coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in England this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition following the near-simultaneous retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, till the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Gill suffered an injury very early in the opening Test and took no further part in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the highly disappointing display in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were exposed as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
It was the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by India in just a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a spot in the WTC final.
The latest loss to South Africa could damage the team's chances of qualifying for the decider of this season also.
After being third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to number five. Although nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's frailty in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests at home lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on pitches that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Currently, the team appear to be beatable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to help their style failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to do well overseas.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has reduced the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is some truth in these views, it still does not explain the reason the side's results at home have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to one or two factors.
Critics and players have highlighted various flaws after the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The review also included the entire setup - selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
