India's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory established in the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the prospects of a number of cricketers - including team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition after the almost concurrent exits of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill suffered an injury very early in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the well below standard showing in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and a few members eyeing extended tenures in Tests were exposed as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep at home endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's prospects of making the decider of this edition as well.
After being third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to fifth place. Although nine more Tests are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a significant benefit - including against the strong Australian side. However the failures against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's weakness in the longer format has been clearly revealed. However, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an exception.
Currently, the team look to be beatable at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they curated to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them in the past.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain the reason the team's showings on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a few causes.
Critics and players have identified several failings after India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - were found wanting in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - selectors and backroom team were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
