India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the past six months has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - including head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a new captain, pointed to a successful handover following the near-simultaneous departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Gill got injured quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail India's chances of making the decider of this edition also.
After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have dropped to number five. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even against the mighty Aussies. But the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in the longer format has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, why India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an exception.
Currently, India look to be beatable in their own backyard.
Versus New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they curated to favor their game failed miserably, as the opposition exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the IPL, in which several international stars participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them before.
Even though there is validity in each argument, it does not clarify the reason India's performances at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted several failings post India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - were found wanting in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
