India's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has almost disappeared and the futures of multiple squad members - including head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a new captain, indicated a smooth transition following the close together retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home season enhanced that perception, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the initial match and took no further part in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the highly disappointing performance in each match against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and multiple individuals eyeing extended tenures in Tests were shown as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Concerning History
This represented the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to South Africa threatens to derail India's prospects of reaching the showpiece of this edition too.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have fallen to number five. Although nine additional matches are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - including against the mighty Aussies. However the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's frailty in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil recently is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an exception.
Currently, the team seem beatable at home.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they developed to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as opponents used them more effectively, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from turners to quick wickets to train the squad to do well in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would present to them before.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not limited to a few causes.
Critics and players have pointed to several failings after the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - selectors and backroom team were also criticized, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
