The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the futures of a number of cricketers - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The new-look squad's strong showing in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition post the close together departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the home season enhanced that perception, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury quickly in the first Test and did not participate again in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the side of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and a few members hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second whitewash at home endured by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which essentially denied India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming the team's hopes of making the showpiece of this season as well.
After being third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Although nine further games are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's weakness in the longer format has been badly exposed. However, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an aberration.
Now, India seem easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been changed from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
Some point out that the IPL, in which several international stars play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with before.
Even though there is validity in these views, it still does not explain the reason India's performances on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars point to a complicated issue, not just a few causes.
Experts and participants have identified several failings after India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, regular alterations of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the team.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, spurred on by distraught fans and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.
At his post-series press
