India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.
The momentum gained during the last several months has largely dissipated and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Fades Quickly
The emerging side's impressive performance in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a successful handover post the almost concurrent retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign strengthened that view, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the well below standard showing in each match against the opposition.
Several established players took a hit, and a few members aspiring to long red-ball careers were revealed to be still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second whitewash at home suffered by India in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a place in the WTC final.
The latest loss to the Proteas could damage the team's hopes of reaching the showpiece of this season too.
From number three in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have dropped to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are still to come, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an anomaly.
Currently, India appear to be beatable at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition used them more effectively, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
What's Gone Wrong?
A few experts argue that India is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to do well abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has removed the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would pose to them in the past.
While there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it does not clarify the reason India's performances at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a few causes.
Critics and players have highlighted various flaws post the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the team.
Cricketers such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The review didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the criticism was head coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
