The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in 25 years and the host nation's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the careers of several players - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover following the almost concurrent retirements of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill suffered an injury early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par performance in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
It was the second clean sweep at home suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 triumph which practically cost the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail India's prospects of making the decider of this season too.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, the side have been relegated to number five. Though nine further games are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - including against the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an aberration.
Now, the team appear to be vulnerable on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals used them more effectively, surpassing the home team's players when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been changed from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them before.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for why India's performances on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted several failings after the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but not well enough to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by upset followers and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
