The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and the host nation's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory established in the past six months has all but vanished and the careers of several players - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.
Initial Hope Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this season, under a new captain, pointed to a seamless changeover post the near-simultaneous departures of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season boosted that belief, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a bit unlucky that skipper 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 well below standard showing in both Tests against South Africa.
Some big reputations took a hit, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.
Worrying Trend
It was the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage India's hopes of reaching the final of this edition also.
After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. But the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was seen as an aberration.
Now, India appear to be beatable at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling at home because home surfaces have been altered from spinning tracks to quick wickets to prepare players to perform better in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars play, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them earlier.
While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the side's results on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a couple of reasons.
Analysts and squad members have highlighted several failings following India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Members like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but inadequately to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the examination was head coach Gambhir.
In his post-series press
