The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum gained during the last several months has almost disappeared and the careers of a number of cricketers - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a seamless changeover post the near-simultaneous exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill got injured very early in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. But that does not excuse or justify the side of the highly disappointing performance in each match against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second clean sweep at home suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a surprising 3-0 win which effectively cost India a place in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming India's hopes of reaching the decider of this edition as well.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Though nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even when facing the mighty Aussies. But the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why India have performed so poorly in Tests at home recently is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Today, India appear to be vulnerable on home turf.
Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to favor their game went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, surpassing the home team's players when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has removed the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
While there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have experienced such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not only one or two factors.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws post the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the side.
Cricketers such as Pant and Yashasvi 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 technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, fuelled by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
