The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa handed India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory built over the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of several players - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Disappears
The young team's commendable display in the UK this season, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover post the close together exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill got injured early on in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par showing in both Tests against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were shown as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second series sweep in home conditions suffered by India in just a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming India's hopes of reaching the decider of this cycle as well.
After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Even though nine further games are remaining, a majority are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a major plus - even when facing the strong Australian side. But the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil lately is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an exception.
Currently, the team appear to be easy pickings at home.
Against the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing at home because local wickets have been altered from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to do well overseas.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would challenge them with before.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings on home soil have witnessed such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complicated issue, not only a few causes.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws post the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The review didn't spare the entire setup - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
