The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in 25 years and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum built over the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a successful handover following the near-simultaneous departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the home season enhanced that perception, till the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard showing in the two games against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and several players hoping for extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
It was the second series sweep on home soil suffered by India in just over a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which practically cost the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's chances of reaching the final of this cycle as well.
From number three in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, the side have dropped to number five. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. But the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
India's frailty in the longer format has been clearly revealed. However, why India have performed so poorly in Tests at home recently is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an anomaly.
Now, the team appear to be vulnerable at home.
Against the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has removed the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them before.
Even though there is validity in these views, it fails to account for why India's performances at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players point to a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted multiple deficiencies following the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the squad.
Players such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the scrutiny was head coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
