India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.
Just days ago, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.
The winning rhythm gained during the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the prospects of a number of cricketers - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.
Early Optimism Vanishes
The young team's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a seamless changeover after the close together exits of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.
A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home season strengthened that view, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.
India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill was injured very early in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par display in each match against the opposition.
Some big reputations suffered, and a few members hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.
Concerning History
This was the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.
The recent defeat to South Africa could damage India's prospects of reaching the final of this season also.
From number three in the WTC rankings before the series, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even when facing the strong Australian side. However the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for that confidence.
Reasons for the Slump
India's vulnerability in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil lately is still bewildering.
Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that helped spin and aided their squad, India brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an aberration.
Now, the team appear to be beatable in their own backyard.
Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.
What Happened?
Some suggest that India is struggling at home because local wickets have been altered from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.
A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has taken away the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would challenge them with before.
Although there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for why the team's showings at home have experienced such a staggering decline.
Various Shortcomings
Many past stars point to a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have identified various flaws following the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, poor choices, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and emphasizing limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was obvious in the displays of the team.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.
Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but inadequately to secure victories.
Coaching Scrutiny
The review also included not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also under fire, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was head coach Gambhir.
During his post-series press
