India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm established in the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the careers of several players - including head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Disappears
The young team's strong showing in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition following the almost concurrent exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the home season enhanced that perception, till the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second series sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage the team's hopes of reaching the decider of this season too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to number five. Even though nine more Tests are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. But the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Today, India seem beatable in their own backyard.
Versus New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that India is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would present to them before.
While there is some truth in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to one or two factors.
Critics and players have pointed to several failings after India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - were found wanting in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The review targeted not only the cricketers - selectors and backroom team were also questioned, driven by upset followers and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
