India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of a number of cricketers - including head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a seamless changeover following the close together retirements of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season boosted that belief, until the Proteas came and inflicted a crushing loss.
India were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury very early in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the highly disappointing showing in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players were damaged, and a few members aspiring to lengthy Test careers were shown as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Concerning History
It was the second whitewash at home endured by India in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this cycle also.
After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, India have dropped to fifth place. Though nine further games are remaining, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even when facing the mighty Aussies. But the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were regarded as 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. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an aberration.
Now, India seem vulnerable on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the home team's players when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to succeed overseas.
Some point out that the IPL, in which several international stars participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.
Although there is some truth in these views, it fails to account for the reason the side's results on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not just a few causes.
Analysts and squad members have identified multiple deficiencies after India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Members such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also questioned, driven by upset followers and critical former players. In the spotlight of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
