India's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, South Africa handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked the Proteas' first series win in the subcontinent in 25 years and the host nation's second defeat at home in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The positive trajectory established in the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Fades Quickly
The young team's strong showing in the UK this season, under a new captain, indicated a seamless changeover after the close together departures of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the domestic season enhanced that perception, before the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.
The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill was injured quickly in the initial match and did not participate again in the series. But that fails to account for the side of the well below standard showing in each match against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and several players hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
It was the second series sweep in home conditions suffered by India in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 triumph which effectively cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of qualifying for the decider of this season also.
From number three in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have fallen to fifth place. Though nine more Tests are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even when facing the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for that confidence.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches at home recently is continues to confuse.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an exception.
Currently, the team appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Certain analysts propose that India is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been changed from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
Even though there is validity in these views, it does not clarify why the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.
Multiple Failings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted various flaws following the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was evident in the displays of the side.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis also included just the players - selectors and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
