India's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It was the Proteas' first series win in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition post the near-simultaneous exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the domestic season enhanced that perception, before the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill got injured early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the side of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second series sweep at home suffered by India in just over a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a berth in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage the team's prospects of making the showpiece of this edition too.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have dropped to fifth place. Even though nine more Tests are remaining, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. But the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have struggled so much in Test matches at home recently is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an exception.
Currently, the team appear to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they curated to favor their game went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to perform better overseas.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with in the past.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it still does not explain the reason India's performances at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a few causes.
Experts and participants have pointed to several failings after the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not well enough to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis didn't spare not only the cricketers - team selectors and support staff were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. Under focus of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
