India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's first series win in India in 25 years and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has all but vanished and the prospects of multiple squad members - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a smooth transition post the close together exits of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the home season boosted that belief, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill was injured early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing showing in each match against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and a few members aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by India in just a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage India's prospects of making the final of this cycle as well.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to fifth place. Even though nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, India appear to be easy pickings on home turf.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they curated to favor their game went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them in the past.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws after India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review also included just the players - selectors and backroom team were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
