India's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The momentum built over the last several months has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a successful handover post the near-simultaneous departures of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the start of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill got injured early on in the initial match and took no further part in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par display in the two games against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and several players eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
This was the second series sweep in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a spot in the Test championship finale.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming India's chances of making the final of this cycle also.
After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, India have fallen to fifth place. Though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. But the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home in recent times is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on pitches that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Today, the team seem vulnerable in their own backyard.
Against New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition used them more effectively, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is struggling at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is some truth in each argument, it still does not explain why the side's results at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a few causes.
Critics and players have pointed to various flaws following India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the displays of the side.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis targeted not only the cricketers - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the scrutiny was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
