India's unexpected 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum gained during the previous half-year has all but vanished and the careers of multiple squad members - along with team coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The emerging side's commendable display in England this summer, under a new captain, indicated a smooth transition after the near-simultaneous retirements of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season boosted that belief, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury very early in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing performance in each match against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and several players hoping for extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second clean sweep at home experienced by India in just over a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had secured a surprising 3-0 win which effectively cost India a place in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage the team's prospects of making the showpiece of this edition too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have dropped to fifth place. Though nine further games are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - including against the mighty Aussies. But the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Test matches at home recently is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Currently, the team seem vulnerable on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which several international stars participate, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them earlier.
Although there is some truth in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a few causes.
Experts and participants have pointed to several failings after the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - were found wanting in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The analysis didn't spare not only the cricketers - selectors and backroom team were also questioned, spurred on by disappointed supporters and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
