Sunil Gavaskar, the man whose name jointly adorns the trophy that Australia and India are currently battling for, has reacted with shock and scorn to the boilover in Pune.
Gavaskar, who played 125 Tests, noted it was one of India's worst ever defeats and "nobody in their wildest dreams" would have expected what happened.
Disbelief was the common theme in Indian newspapers after the tourists claimed a shock 1-0 lead in the four-Test series.
Some pundits and past players pointed to the crumbling dustbowl. Harbhajan Singh, whose pre-series prediction was Australia would be thumped 4-0, quipped it "wasn't a pitch" and he'd reserve judgement on Steve O'Keefe until he bowled on a "good Test match wicket".
"Test cricket should last five days. You cannot play on such wickets where anyone runs in to bowl and takes wickets," he told the The Indian Express.
"I know how hard I had to work to earn every single wicket.
"When you prepare such a wicket, you are making conditions favourable for the opposition ... you don't need to flight the ball or anything. You just need to bowl fast and not give the batsmen room."
India's batting, team selection and use of the Decision Review System (DRS) also came under fire after O'Keefe grabbed match figures of 12-70 to spin Australia to a 333-run win.
Gavaskar, writing in the Sunday Times, suggested India's shambolic collapses highlighted an incentive system that was pushing players towards Twenty20 cricket instead of Tests.
"Nobody was able to settle down and get the big runs that were seen in the earlier Tests played in India," opined the former opener, who scored 10,122 Test runs for India.
"The IPL can turn the lives of those who get picked by franchises at astronomical fees and there are always some heart-warming stories of strugglers making it big.
"Surely some thought needs to be given to those who ply their trade in the domestic first-class season and end up getting a fraction of what these unknowns get for the IPL.
"It is no surprise that these Ranji players feel like third-class citizens ... this needs to be looked at seriously by the administrators."
Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar was more measured and upbeat.
"The loss does not mean that the series is lost, the series is still wide open," Tendulkar told NDTV.
"I know that they will fight back hard."
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