India's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory built over the past six months has largely dissipated and the careers of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this season, under a new captain, indicated a seamless changeover following the almost concurrent exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the domestic season boosted that belief, till the Proteas came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and a few members eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep at home suffered by India in just a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which essentially denied India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail India's hopes of making the showpiece of this cycle too.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine further games are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a major plus - including against the strong Australian side. But the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Now, India appear to be beatable in their own backyard.
Versus New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to do well abroad.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with earlier.
Although there is validity in both analyses, it still does not explain why India's performances on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to several failings following India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the team.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis also included the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also under fire, fuelled by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
