India's shocking 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent Test series has left the team reeling.
In the final match, the visiting team handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.
The positive trajectory built over the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of a number of cricketers - as well as head coach the coach - are now uncertain.
A Promising Start Disappears
The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a new captain, indicated a smooth transition after the close together departures of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the home season boosted that belief, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.
The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Gill suffered an injury early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the well below standard display in each match against South Africa.
A number of star cricketers suffered, and a few members hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Concerning History
It was the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage the team's prospects of reaching the decider of this cycle too.
From number three in the WTC table before the series, India have dropped to number five. Although nine further games are remaining, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. Yet the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. That said, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home in recent times is remains puzzling.
In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an anomaly.
Now, the team look to be easy pickings on home turf.
Against the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they developed to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals used them more effectively, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that India is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to succeed in foreign conditions.
Some point out that the IPL, in which several international stars take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would pose to them before.
Although there is validity in these views, it fails to account for why the side's results at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.
Multiple Failings
Many past stars diagnose a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.
Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies post the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.
This was evident in the displays of the squad.
Members like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - were found wanting in technique and temperament, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.
Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review didn't spare not only the cricketers - selectors and backroom team were also questioned, spurred on by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the examination was mentor Gambhir.
During his post-series press
