India's shocking 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum established in the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of several players - along with team coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition post the near-simultaneous retirements of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign strengthened that view, till the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill was injured very early in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and a few members hoping for extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second whitewash in home conditions endured by India in just a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had secured a staggering 3-0 triumph which effectively cost India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to South Africa threatens to derail India's prospects of qualifying for the showpiece of this season also.
After being third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have fallen to number five. Although nine further games are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that helped spin and aided their squad, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Today, the team seem beatable at home.
Versus New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is floundering at home because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better overseas.
Some point out that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain why the side's results on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players identify a complicated issue, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have pointed to multiple deficiencies post the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the side.
Players such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The review also included not only the cricketers - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, spurred on by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
