India's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has largely dissipated and the prospects of a number of cricketers - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The new-look squad's impressive performance in England this summer, under a new captain, indicated a successful handover post the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par display in each match against the opposition.
Some big reputations were damaged, and several players aspiring to lengthy Test careers were exposed as not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This was the second series sweep in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had secured a surprising 3-0 win which practically cost India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa threatens to derail India's chances of making the decider of this edition too.
After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Though nine additional matches are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. But the failures against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests at home recently is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Now, the team appear to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to favor their game went wrong completely, as rivals used them more effectively, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to succeed in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which several international stars take part, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with earlier.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for why the team's showings at home have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to various flaws following the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the showings of the side.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - were found wanting in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - team selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, spurred on by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the scrutiny was head coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
