India's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of several players - including head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Disappears
The new-look squad's commendable display in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover post the near-simultaneous exits of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and did not participate again in the series. But that does not excuse or justify the team of the well below standard performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep at home endured by India in just a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a berth in the WTC final.
The latest loss to South Africa threatens to derail the team's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this cycle also.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have fallen to fifth place. Even though nine more Tests are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even against the strong Australian side. However the failures against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on tracks that helped spin and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an exception.
Currently, India appear to be beatable in their own backyard.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition used them more effectively, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to succeed abroad.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies following India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - were found wanting in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
