India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The new-look squad's commendable display in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover post the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, until the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill was injured quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par display in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and a few members aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This was the second whitewash on home soil endured by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail India's chances of qualifying for the decider of this cycle too.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have dropped to fifth place. Even though nine further games are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the strong Australian side. However the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
India's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, why India have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an aberration.
Today, the team seem vulnerable in their own backyard.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them earlier.
Although there is some truth in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players point to a complicated issue, not just a few causes.
Experts and participants have identified multiple deficiencies following India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The review also included the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was head coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
