The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa handed India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It was the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in 25 years and the host nation's second home series loss in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm built over the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of several players - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Disappears
The emerging side's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition post the almost concurrent departures of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the commencement of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This represented the second whitewash at home experienced by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a place in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage India's hopes of qualifying for the final of this cycle also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to number five. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even when facing the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why the team have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, India look to be beatable at home.
Against New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the home team's players when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.
A few mention that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with before.
While there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain why India's performances at home have seen such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars identify a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies after the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, poor choices, overconfidence, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - were found wanting in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The analysis didn't spare just the players - the selection panel and support staff were also under fire, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
