India's unexpected 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition after the close together exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill was injured very early in the initial match and took no further part in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and several players eyeing extended tenures in Tests were exposed as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second whitewash in home conditions experienced by India in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost India a berth in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to South Africa could damage India's chances of reaching the decider of this edition also.
After being third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, the side have dropped to fifth place. Even though nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even against the strong Australian side. However the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil recently is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, the team look to be vulnerable on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that the Indian team is failing at home because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to fast tracks to prepare players to do well overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has removed the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would challenge them with before.
Even though there is validity in both analyses, it still does not explain the reason the side's results at home have seen such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted various flaws after the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, regular alterations of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The review also included the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
