The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, South Africa gave India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has all but vanished and the careers of multiple squad members - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a smooth transition post the near-simultaneous retirements of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the Proteas turned up and handed out a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill was injured early on in the first Test and took no further part in the series. But 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 several players hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second whitewash at home endured by India in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to the Proteas risks harming India's hopes of making the decider of this edition as well.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, India have been relegated to fifth place. Though nine further games are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil recently is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Now, the team appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Against New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that India is floundering at home because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well overseas.
Some point out that the IPL, in which several international stars take part, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would present to them in the past.
While there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason India's performances on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars identify a complicated issue, not just one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have identified multiple deficiencies following the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - came up short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Management Questions
The analysis targeted the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also questioned, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
