The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of a number of cricketers - along with head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover after the close together exits of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill was injured quickly in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the well below standard performance in the two games against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and a few members hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's prospects of making the final of this season also.
From number three in the WTC rankings before the series, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Though nine further games are yet to be played, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even when facing the strong Australian side. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Causes of the Fall
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. However, the reason the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil recently is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an anomaly.
Now, the team appear to be easy pickings at home.
Against New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed in foreign conditions.
Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would pose to them earlier.
Although there is validity in both analyses, it still does not explain why India's performances at home have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars identify a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have identified various flaws following the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the side.
Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their place in the team - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but not well enough to win matches.
Management Questions
The review targeted just the players - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by distraught fans and vocal past stars. At the centre of the scrutiny was head coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
