The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph 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 gained during the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of several players - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a new captain, indicated a successful handover following the almost concurrent departures of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season boosted that belief, till the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill was injured quickly in the opening Test and took no further part in the contest. But that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par performance in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals eyeing extended tenures in Tests were shown as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This represented the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by India in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a place in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail India's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this edition too.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, the side have dropped to number five. Even though nine further games are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. However the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, the reason the team have struggled so much in Test matches at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Currently, the team look to be vulnerable on home turf.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they prepared to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition used them more effectively, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.
Although there is validity in each argument, it fails to account for the reason the side's results on home soil have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified multiple deficiencies following the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the squad.
Players such as Rishabh 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 place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, spurred on by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
