The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in India in 25 years and the host nation's second home series loss in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm established in the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head coach the coach - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in England this season, under a new captain, pointed to a successful handover post the near-simultaneous exits of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the home campaign enhanced that perception, until the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill was injured early on in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the team of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against the opposition.
Some big reputations were damaged, and a few members eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
It was the second series sweep in home conditions suffered by India in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a spot in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to South Africa could damage India's prospects of making the final of this edition as well.
After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, India have dropped to fifth place. Although nine additional matches are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the strong Australian side. Yet the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, why the team have fared so badly in Tests at home lately is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, India were seen as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an aberration.
Today, India appear to be vulnerable at home.
Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that India is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to perform better abroad.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to several failings after the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the performances of the team.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not well enough to win matches.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem also included the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also under fire, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
