India's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and the host nation's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum established in the last several months has all but vanished and the careers of several players - along with head mentor the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a successful handover post the almost concurrent retirements of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, till the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Gill was injured quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. Yet that does not excuse or justify the side of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
It was the second series sweep in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 victory which practically cost India a berth in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail the team's chances of qualifying for the final of this edition too.
From number three in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Though nine more Tests are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a major plus - including against the powerful Australians. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, India were seen as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on pitches that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Currently, the team look to be beatable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they curated to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, surpassing the home team's players when it counted the most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to fast tracks to train the squad to succeed abroad.
A few mention that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.
While there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies post India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the side.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - came up short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem targeted just the players - selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
At his post-series press
