India's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum built over the last several months has almost disappeared and the prospects of several players - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, indicated a smooth transition after the near-simultaneous departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, till the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. Yet that fails to account for the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against the opposition.
Some big reputations suffered, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were exposed as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second series sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas risks harming India's chances of reaching the final of this cycle as well.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even against the mighty Aussies. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's weakness in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, why India have fared so badly in Tests at home lately is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as invincible in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, India appear to be easy pickings on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is floundering at home because home surfaces have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the IPL, in which many overseas players take part, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with before.
Although there is validity in both analyses, it does not clarify why India's performances on home soil have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a few causes.
Experts and participants have highlighted several failings after India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the displays of the team.
Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - selectors and backroom team were also criticized, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. In the spotlight of the examination was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
