India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has all but vanished and the careers of several players - along with team coach the coach - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover following the almost concurrent departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season enhanced that perception, before the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. But that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and multiple individuals eyeing extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This was the second series sweep at home endured by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a berth in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's chances of qualifying for the decider of this edition as well.
After being third in the WTC table prior to the contest, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even against the strong Australian side. But the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's frailty in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil lately is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, India were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.
Currently, the team look to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to do well overseas.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it does not clarify why India's performances on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players point to a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a few causes.
Experts and participants have identified various flaws after India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the squad.
Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - the selection panel and support staff were also questioned, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. Under focus of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
