The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' first series win in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The winning rhythm built over the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of multiple squad members - as well as team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Disappears
The new-look squad's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition after the almost concurrent departures of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season boosted that belief, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill got injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the team of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations suffered, and several players aspiring to lengthy Test careers were shown as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep at home experienced by India in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 triumph 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 prospects of qualifying for the decider of this season as well.
From number three in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to number five. Although nine additional matches are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. But the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, why India have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, India were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on pitches that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an exception.
Currently, India seem beatable on home turf.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they prepared to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition used them more effectively, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is some truth in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not just one or two factors.
Critics and players have identified various flaws after the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the team.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - fell short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis also included just the players - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. At the centre of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
