The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India a record loss in Test cricket, against all odds. It marked the Proteas' first series win in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum established in the last several months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The young team's impressive performance in England this season, under a new captain, suggested a seamless changeover after the close together exits of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill got injured very early in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. However, that fails to account for the team of the terribly sub-par display in the two games against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and a few members eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 triumph which effectively cost the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to South Africa risks harming the team's prospects of reaching the showpiece of this cycle too.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. But the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, why the team have fared so badly in Tests at home recently is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Today, the team look to be beatable in their own backyard.
Versus New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to favor their game went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing at home because home surfaces have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to succeed abroad.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with before.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for why India's performances at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies following India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, arrogance, regular alterations of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the showings of the side.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis didn't spare just the players - selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
