The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the just finished Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India a record defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The winning rhythm established in the previous half-year has all but vanished and the careers of a number of cricketers - along with team coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this season, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover post the almost concurrent departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the home campaign strengthened that view, until the Proteas came and inflicted a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing display in both Tests against South Africa.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members eyeing extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
It was the second whitewash on home soil endured by India in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to South Africa threatens to derail India's chances of making the showpiece of this cycle too.
From number three in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Although nine more Tests are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even against the powerful Australians. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have fared so badly in Tests on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an exception.
Now, India look to be easy pickings on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to succeed overseas.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would present to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have seen such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not just one or two factors.
Experts and participants have identified various flaws after India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the showings of the side.
Cricketers such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Coaching Scrutiny
The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was head coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
