The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover following the almost concurrent departures of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill was injured very early in the initial match and did not participate again in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the well below standard performance in both Tests against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and several players aspiring to long red-ball careers were shown as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
This was the second whitewash at home experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's prospects of qualifying for the final of this edition too.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in the longer format has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Currently, the team look to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they prepared to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them in the past.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for why the team's showings at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies post India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the displays of the squad.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
