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India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

In the final match, South Africa gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in two and a half decades and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.

The positive trajectory established in the past six months has all but vanished and the careers of multiple squad members - along with head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.

A Promising Start Disappears

The young team's impressive performance in England this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition post the almost concurrent retirements of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the home campaign strengthened that view, before the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.

India were somewhat unlucky that captain Gill got injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the well below standard showing in the two games against South Africa.

Several established players took a hit, and multiple individuals hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.

Concerning History

This represented the second whitewash in home conditions endured by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, underestimated New Zealand had achieved a staggering 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the Test championship finale.

The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage India's hopes of making the final of this edition as well.

Previously ranked third in the WTC table before the series, India have been relegated to number five. Although nine further games are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even against the strong Australian side. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such comfort.

Causes of the Fall

India's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, why India have struggled so much in Tests at home lately is still bewildering.

Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an exception.

Currently, India look to be easy pickings at home.

Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to help their style backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.

What Happened?

Some suggest that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to quick wickets to train the squad to perform better in foreign conditions.

Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has reduced the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.

Although there is validity in each argument, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.

Multiple Failings

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

Critics and players have identified multiple deficiencies after India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, regular alterations of the team lineup, and favoring limited-overs over red-ball cricket.

This was evident in the showings of the side.

Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.

Just a few - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.

Coaching Scrutiny

The post-mortem targeted just the players - the selection panel and support staff were also criticized, driven by distraught fans and critical former players. At the centre of the examination was head coach Gautam Gambhir.

During his post-series press