The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, South Africa handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the last several months has almost disappeared and the careers of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's commendable display in England this summer, under a new captain, suggested a seamless changeover post the near-simultaneous exits of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign strengthened that view, until the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill got injured early on in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. But that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing display in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals eyeing long red-ball careers were exposed as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Concerning History
It was the second whitewash on home soil experienced by India in just a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 win which effectively cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail the team's chances of qualifying for the showpiece of this cycle too.
From number three in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. Yet the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that helped spin and aided their squad, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was seen as an anomaly.
Now, India look to be beatable at home.
Versus New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The pitches they developed to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing the home team's players when it counted the most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to succeed in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would pose to them earlier.
While there is validity in each argument, it fails to account for why the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to several failings following India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the squad.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
