India's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's second defeat at home in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm built over the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - along with head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover after the close together departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill was injured very early in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. Yet that fails to account for the team of the well below standard display in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
It was the second whitewash on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's hopes of qualifying for the decider of this cycle as well.
After being third in the WTC table before the series, the side have fallen to fifth place. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. But the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. However, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests at home in recent times is continues to confuse.
In the 21st century, India were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Today, the team appear to be easy pickings at home.
Versus New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they curated to suit their strengths failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well overseas.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them before.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for why the side's results at home have seen such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Most former players diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to several failings after the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the side.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but inadequately to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review also included the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also questioned, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
