India's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in India in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm built over the last several months has largely dissipated and the prospects of multiple squad members - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The young team's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover post the near-simultaneous retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill got injured quickly in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the side of the well below standard showing in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members aspiring to long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second series sweep at home endured by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's hopes of qualifying for the final of this cycle too.
From number three in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, why the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an exception.
Now, the team look to be easy pickings at home.
Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as opponents exploited them better, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them in the past.
While there is some truth in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason India's performances at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws following the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.
This was clear in the showings of the squad.
Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and backroom team were also criticized, driven by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
At his post-series press
