The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm established in the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the prospects of several players - along with team coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a new captain, suggested a successful handover after the near-simultaneous departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill was injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. But that does not excuse or justify the side of the highly disappointing display in the two games against the opposition.
Some big reputations were damaged, and a few members eyeing long red-ball careers were shown as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second clean sweep at home experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a spot in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming the team's chances of qualifying for the decider of this cycle also.
From number three in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have fallen to fifth place. Although nine additional matches are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, the reason India have fared so badly in Tests on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.
Now, the team seem beatable in their own backyard.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they developed to help their style failed miserably, as the opposition exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing at home because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would present to them in the past.
While there is validity in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified multiple deficiencies following the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the team.
Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - team selectors and backroom team were also questioned, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
