The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, South Africa gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum built over the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of a number of cricketers - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition after the near-simultaneous exits of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.
India were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par showing in the two games against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were shown as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 triumph which effectively cost India a place in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage the team's prospects of making the decider of this cycle too.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings before the series, India have dropped to number five. Even though nine more Tests are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - including against the powerful Australians. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have performed so poorly in Tests at home lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, the team look to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that India is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them earlier.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason India's performances on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars point to a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws after the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the side.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - fell short in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not well enough to win matches.
Management Questions
The review targeted the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also under fire, spurred on by distraught fans and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
