The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory built over the past six months has all but vanished and the careers of a number of cricketers - including head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover following the almost concurrent retirements of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign strengthened that view, until the South Africans came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and a few members hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second series sweep in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming India's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this cycle also.
Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings before the series, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the powerful Australians. But the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests at home lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.
Today, the team seem easy pickings on home turf.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they prepared to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that the Indian team is failing at home because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to perform better abroad.
Some point out that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players participate, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would pose to them in the past.
While there is some truth in both analyses, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Most former players diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have highlighted various flaws after the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the playing XI, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the side.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - came up short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout 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 well enough to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - selectors and support staff were also criticized, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
