The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India a record loss in Test cricket, against all odds. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory built over the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - as well as head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Disappears
The new-look squad's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a new captain, pointed to a successful handover after the close together departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home season strengthened that view, before the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the well below standard showing in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and a few members hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by India in just over a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 win which essentially denied India a berth in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage India's chances of reaching the decider of this cycle as well.
After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to fifth place. Even though nine more Tests are remaining, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. But the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. That said, why India have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that assisted spinners and aided their squad, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an aberration.
Today, the team look to be beatable at home.
Versus New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to help their style failed miserably, as rivals exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is failing at home because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed overseas.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would present to them earlier.
While there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not only a few causes.
Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies following the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, poor choices, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the displays of the side.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis also included the entire setup - the selection panel and backroom team were also criticized, driven by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
During his post-series press
