The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, South Africa handed India a record loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum built over the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with team coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Disappears
The new-look squad's commendable display in England this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a seamless changeover following the close together retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the domestic season enhanced that perception, before the South Africans came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill got injured early on in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. But that fails to account for the squad of the highly disappointing performance in each match against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members eyeing extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions endured by India in just a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage the team's prospects of making the decider of this cycle also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table prior to the contest, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. But the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests at home lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an aberration.
Currently, India appear to be beatable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they curated to suit their strengths failed miserably, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them in the past.
Although there is some truth in these views, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not only a few causes.
Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies following the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the playing XI, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the displays of the team.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The analysis didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the scrutiny was head coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
