The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, South Africa gave India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The winning rhythm built over the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head coach the coach - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover following the almost concurrent departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill was injured early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the series. However, that does not excuse or justify the squad of the well below standard display in each match against the opposition.
Some big reputations suffered, and a few members hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Concerning History
It was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which effectively cost India a spot in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's hopes of reaching the decider of this edition also.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have dropped to number five. Though nine more Tests are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even when facing the strong Australian side. But the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. That said, why India have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, India were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, India appear to be vulnerable at home.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they curated to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals exploited them better, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering at home because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them earlier.
While there is validity in both analyses, it still does not explain why the side's results on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted several failings following India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.
This was obvious in the showings of the squad.
Players like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The review targeted the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also questioned, spurred on by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
