The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, South Africa gave India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a smooth transition after the close together departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the series. But that fails to account for the squad of the highly disappointing showing in both Tests against South Africa.
Some big reputations were damaged, and a few members aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep on home soil endured by India in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 win which effectively cost India a spot in the WTC final.
The latest loss to the Proteas could damage the team's hopes of making the decider of this cycle also.
From number three in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. But the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why India have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an aberration.
Now, India look to be beatable in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as opponents used them more effectively, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
Certain analysts propose that India is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to succeed in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with before.
While there is validity in both analyses, it still does not explain why the team's showings on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Multiple Failings
Most former players diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies following the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, poor choices, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the squad.
Players such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - fell short in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - team selectors and support staff were also under fire, spurred on by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
