The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India a record loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of multiple squad members - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a smooth transition post the near-simultaneous departures of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the domestic season boosted that belief, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill was injured very early in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par display in both Tests against the opposition.
Some big reputations were damaged, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were shown as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which effectively cost India a place in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's chances of qualifying for the final of this season too.
From number three in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. But the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why India have fared so badly in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an aberration.
Currently, India appear to be vulnerable at home.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they prepared to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as rivals used them more effectively, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them before.
While there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted several failings following India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the side.
Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not well enough to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - team selectors and backroom team were also criticized, spurred on by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
