The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory established in the past six months has all but vanished and the prospects of a number of cricketers - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
A Promising Start Vanishes
The new-look squad's strong showing in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a smooth transition following the almost concurrent exits of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that leader Gill was injured early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that does not excuse or justify the team of the well below standard performance in both Tests against the opposition.
Some big reputations took a hit, and several players eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the format.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a surprising 3-0 win which essentially denied India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage India's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this edition as well.
Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Although nine further games are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, why India have fared so badly in Tests at home recently is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on pitches that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an exception.
Currently, India appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.
Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to suit their strengths failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is failing at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to succeed overseas.
Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has taken away the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would present to them earlier.
Even though there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have experienced such a sharp fall.
Several Weaknesses
The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not just one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted several failings post the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.
This was clear in the showings of the team.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The analysis didn't spare just the players - the selection panel and backroom team were also criticized, spurred on by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the examination was head coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
