The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory built over the past six months has all but vanished and the careers of several players - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Fades Quickly
The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover following the near-simultaneous retirements of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the domestic season strengthened that view, until the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill got injured very early in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the highly disappointing showing in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were exposed as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.
A Troubling Pattern
This represented the second series sweep on home soil endured by India in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 triumph which practically cost the hosts a place in the WTC final.
The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming India's chances of reaching the decider of this edition too.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Usually, playing at home would be a huge advantage - even when facing the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Roots of the Decline
The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason India have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on surfaces that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Currently, the team seem easy pickings on home turf.
Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they developed to favor their game went wrong completely, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Some suggest that India is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed abroad.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would challenge them with in the past.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it does not clarify why India's performances on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.
Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws post the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - were found wanting in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to claim wins.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - selectors and support staff were also under fire, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
