The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It marked the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of several players - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover post the near-simultaneous retirements of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. But that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.
Several established players suffered, and a few members eyeing lengthy Test careers were shown as not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the longer format.
Worrying Trend
It was the second series sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage the team's chances of reaching the showpiece of this season too.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine further games are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. However the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's frailty in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests at home lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Now, the team appear to be vulnerable in their own backyard.
Against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it counted the most.
What's Gone Wrong?
Some suggest that India is failing at home because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players play, has taken away the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain why India's performances at home have seen such a dramatic drop.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws following India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, regular alterations of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.
This was clear in the displays of the team.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.
A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to secure victories.
Management Questions
The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
