The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It was South Africa's first series win in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has largely dissipated and the careers of a number of cricketers - including head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition after the close together exits of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season boosted that belief, until the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill got injured very early in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the highly disappointing showing in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
It was the second series sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a place in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming the team's chances of qualifying for the decider of this edition too.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have dropped to fifth place. Even though nine additional matches are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a significant benefit - including against the powerful Australians. But the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why India have fared so badly in Test matches at home recently is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Today, the team appear to be easy pickings at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents used them more effectively, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them earlier.
Although there is some truth in both analyses, it does not clarify why the team's showings at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified various flaws following India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the squad.
Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - were found wanting in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but inadequately to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review also included the entire setup - the selection panel and backroom team were also questioned, driven by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
