The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, South Africa handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. This represented South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm built over the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the futures of several players - including team coach the coach - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a new captain, suggested a smooth transition following the close together retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill was injured early on in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. However, that fails to account for the team of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and multiple individuals aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Concerning History
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to South Africa risks harming the team's hopes of making the final of this season also.
After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Although nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Causes of the Fall
India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on tracks that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, India seem easy pickings at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing at home because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed abroad.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has removed the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them before.
While there is some truth in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the side's results on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not only one or two factors.
Experts and participants have pointed to several failings post India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.
This was evident in the showings of the squad.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis didn't spare the entire setup - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
