The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum established in the last several months has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - as well as head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this season, under a fresh leadership, indicated a seamless changeover after the almost concurrent retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman 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 well below standard performance in both Tests against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and several players eyeing extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Concerning History
It was the second clean sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage India's hopes of reaching the decider of this season also.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have dropped to the fifth spot. Although nine further games are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even when facing the strong Australian side. But the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, why India have fared so badly in Tests on home soil lately is still bewildering.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that assisted spinners and aided their squad, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Currently, India look to be vulnerable at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to suit their strengths failed miserably, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that India is floundering at home because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to succeed abroad.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would challenge them with in the past.
Although there is some truth in each argument, it fails to account for why India's performances at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have pointed to several failings after India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over the longer format.
This was obvious in the showings of the side.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - fell short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem also included just the players - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by distraught fans and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.
In his post-series press
