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 handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in 25 years and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of a number of cricketers - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition after the almost concurrent exits of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season boosted that belief, until the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and a few members hoping for long red-ball careers were exposed as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second whitewash in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail India's chances of making the showpiece of this edition too.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine more Tests are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Tests at home lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an anomaly.
Today, India look to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals exploited them better, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to quick wickets to prepare players to do well abroad.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them earlier.
Even though there is some truth in these views, it still does not explain the reason the side's results on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted multiple deficiencies after India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and prioritising limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the side.
Players such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but inadequately to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The review targeted not only the cricketers - selectors and backroom team were also criticized, spurred on by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
