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The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.

Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It marked the Proteas' first series win in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.

The positive trajectory established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the futures of a number of cricketers - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.

Early Optimism Vanishes

The emerging side's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition post the almost concurrent retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home campaign enhanced that perception, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.

The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the team of the well below standard performance in the two games against South Africa.

Several established players took a hit, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were exposed as still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.

A Troubling Pattern

It was the second whitewash at home endured by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had pulled off a staggering 3-0 win which practically cost the hosts a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The fresh failure to South Africa risks harming the team's hopes of reaching the showpiece of this edition also.

After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have dropped to number five. Even though nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - including against the strong Australian side. But the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.

Reasons for the Slump

India's frailty in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason India have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.

From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an anomaly.

Now, the team look to be easy pickings on home turf.

Versus the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to suit their strengths failed miserably, as rivals used them more effectively, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.

What's Gone Wrong?

Some suggest that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.

Others highlight that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them in the past.

Even though there is some truth in these views, it still does not explain why the side's results on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.

Several Weaknesses

Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.

Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws after the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over Test cricket.

This was clear in the showings of the squad.

Members like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.

Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to win matches.

Coaching Scrutiny

The post-mortem also included the entire setup - selectors and backroom team were also criticized, driven by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.

In his post-series press