The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in India in 25 years and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the past six months has all but vanished and the careers of several players - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover after the close together departures of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill got injured very early in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. However, that fails to account for the squad of the highly disappointing showing in both Tests against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were shown as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This represented the second series sweep at home endured by India in just a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming the team's chances of reaching the decider of this edition as well.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, India have fallen to number five. Although nine additional matches are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even against the powerful Australians. However the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an aberration.
Now, the team appear to be beatable on home turf.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing the home team's players when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to fast tracks to prepare players to succeed abroad.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with before.
Although there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the side's results on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted several failings post India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the side.
Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - were found wanting in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The review didn't spare just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, spurred on by distraught fans and vocal past stars. At the centre of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
