India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It marked the Proteas' first series win 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 built over the past six months has largely dissipated and the futures of multiple squad members - along with head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Early Optimism Disappears
The young team's commendable display in England this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover following the almost concurrent departures of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the home season enhanced that perception, till the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill got injured early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that fails to account for the squad of the highly disappointing display in both Tests against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second series sweep in home conditions experienced by India in just a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The latest loss to the Proteas could damage India's hopes of reaching the showpiece of this season also.
From number three in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have dropped to fifth place. Even though nine further games are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. But the failures against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, why the team have fared so badly in Tests at home lately is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as invincible in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an aberration.
Currently, India look to be easy pickings at home.
Against New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, 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 local wickets have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would present to them before.
Even though there is some truth in these views, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies following India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, poor choices, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.
This was obvious in the performances of the side.
Cricketers such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - were found wanting in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - team selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, spurred on by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was team coach Gambhir.
At his post-series press
