India's shocking 0-2 series 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 defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in India in 25 years and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The momentum gained during the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the prospects of multiple squad members - including head mentor the coach - are under scrutiny.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition post the close together departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign strengthened that view, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.
The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. However, that fails to account for the team of the well below standard display in each match against the opposition.
Several established players were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Concerning History
It was the second whitewash on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a spot in the WTC final.
The recent defeat to South Africa threatens to derail India's chances of reaching the final of this edition as well.
After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even against the mighty Aussies. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
The national team's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. That said, why India have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil lately is remains puzzling.
Since the turn of the century, India were seen as impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an exception.
Today, India look to be easy pickings on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they developed to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
A few experts argue that India is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.
Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would present to them earlier.
Although there is some truth in these views, it does not clarify the reason India's performances at home have experienced such a dramatic drop.
Various Shortcomings
The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies after the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, flawed selections, overconfidence, regular alterations of the playing XI, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.
This was clear in the performances of the team.
Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.
Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to win matches.
Management Questions
The post-mortem targeted just the players - the selection panel and backroom team were also questioned, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press
