The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has almost disappeared and the careers of a number of cricketers - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Disappears
The emerging side's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a smooth transition post the almost concurrent retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill got injured quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard showing in both Tests against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a place in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail the team's hopes of qualifying for the showpiece of this edition also.
From number three in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. However the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on pitches that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, India look to be beatable on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to favor their game failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is floundering at home because home surfaces have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to perform better abroad.
Some point out that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players take part, has taken away the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would pose to them in the past.
While there is some truth in these views, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have identified various flaws following the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was clear in the performances of the team.
Cricketers such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - were found wanting in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis also included not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press