India's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of multiple squad members - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The new-look squad's commendable display in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a seamless changeover after the almost concurrent retirements of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill was injured early on in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the team of the well below standard performance in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This was the second series sweep in home conditions suffered by India in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming India's hopes of making the showpiece of this cycle too.
From number three in the WTC rankings before the series, India have dropped to fifth place. Though nine more Tests are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. However the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered unbeatable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Now, India seem vulnerable on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they curated to suit their strengths failed miserably, as opponents used them more effectively, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
Some point out that the IPL, in which many overseas players take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would present to them before.
While there is some truth in each argument, it still does not explain why the team's showings on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws post India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the squad.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, spurred on by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
