The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa handed India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in 25 years and the host nation's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory established in the previous half-year has all but vanished and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with head coach the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The young team's strong showing in England this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover after the close together departures of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home season boosted that belief, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. Yet that fails to account for the team of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and several players eyeing extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
It was the second clean sweep at home experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a place in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming the team's chances of making the decider of this season also.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have fallen to fifth place. Although nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a major plus - including against the mighty Aussies. However the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's weakness in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason India have performed so poorly in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that helped spin and aided their squad, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an exception.
Today, the team appear to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they developed to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to do well overseas.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players play, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them earlier.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it does not clarify why the side's results at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted several failings post the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the squad.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - were found wanting in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis didn't spare just the players - team selectors and backroom team were also questioned, driven by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press