The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. This represented South Africa's first series win in India in 25 years and the host nation's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the careers of a number of cricketers - including head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a smooth transition following the almost concurrent retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the start of the home season enhanced that perception, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard display in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and a few members aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Concerning History
This was the second series sweep on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a spot in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming India's hopes of qualifying for the showpiece of this edition too.
After being third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Though nine further games are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a major plus - including against the powerful Australians. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, why India have fared so badly in Tests on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, India were seen as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Today, the team look to be easy pickings at home.
Versus New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The pitches they prepared to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition used them more effectively, outplaying the home team's players when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is some truth in these views, it fails to account for the reason India's performances at home have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have identified various flaws following the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the team.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - were found wanting in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review also included the entire setup - selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. At the centre of the examination was head coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
