India's unexpected 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.
In the final match, the visiting team gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The winning rhythm built over the previous half-year has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - including team coach the coach - now hang in the balance.
Early Optimism Disappears
The new-look squad's strong showing in the UK this season, under a new captain, suggested a successful handover after the almost concurrent departures of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the beginning of the home season boosted that belief, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that leader Shubman Gill suffered an injury very early in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the side of the highly disappointing showing in each match against the opposition.
Several established players suffered, and multiple individuals hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
A Troubling Pattern
This was the second whitewash on home soil suffered by India in just over a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a berth in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to the Proteas risks harming the team's chances of reaching the showpiece of this edition too.
After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to number five. Although nine further games are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even against the powerful Australians. However the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for such assurance.
Roots of the Decline
India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.
In the 21st century, India were considered invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Now, the team seem beatable at home.
Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.
What Happened?
A few experts argue that the Indian team is floundering at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed in foreign conditions.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has reduced the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with in the past.
Although there is validity in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers identify a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to one or two factors.
Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies following India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the showings of the squad.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - fell short in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to claim wins.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also criticized, spurred on by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
At his post-series press
