The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the just finished Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's second defeat at home in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm gained during the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - along with team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's strong showing in the UK this season, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition after the near-simultaneous exits of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the home season enhanced that perception, until the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill suffered an injury very early in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the side of the terribly sub-par showing in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and a few members eyeing lengthy Test careers were shown as not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This was the second series sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a place in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming the team's chances of qualifying for the decider of this season too.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have fallen to number five. Although nine more Tests are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even when facing the strong Australian side. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason India have struggled so much in Test matches at home lately is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.
Now, the team seem vulnerable on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is floundering at home because home surfaces have been altered from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to succeed in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would present to them before.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason India's performances at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have highlighted various flaws after India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, poor choices, arrogance, regular alterations of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the team.
Players such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - were found wanting in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem targeted just the players - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
