The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. This represented the Proteas' first series win in India in 25 years and India's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory gained during the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the prospects of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a new captain, indicated a successful handover after the near-simultaneous departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill was injured very early in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations suffered, and multiple individuals hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This was the second series sweep in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas could damage the team's hopes of reaching the decider of this edition also.
After being third in the WTC table prior to the contest, India have been relegated to number five. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a major plus - including against the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on pitches that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Currently, India seem vulnerable on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they curated to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well overseas.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would present to them in the past.
Even though there is validity in each argument, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Most former players diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted several failings following India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the squad.
Players like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - selectors and backroom team were also questioned, spurred on by distraught fans and vocal past stars. At the centre of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
