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India's surprising 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.

Just days ago, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.

The momentum gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - including head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.

Early Optimism Disappears

The emerging side's strong showing in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover following the close together exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

A straightforward 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the home campaign strengthened that view, till the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.

India were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill was injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. But that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing showing in each match against the opposition.

Some big reputations took a hit, and several players aspiring to lengthy Test careers were exposed as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the longer format.

Concerning History

This was the second whitewash on home soil endured by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming the team's hopes of qualifying for the showpiece of this cycle also.

Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, the side have been relegated to number five. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.

Roots of the Decline

The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been badly exposed. However, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home recently is remains puzzling.

Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.

Today, the team seem easy pickings on home turf.

Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.

What's Gone Wrong?

Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been modified from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.

Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars take part, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would pose to them earlier.

Although there is validity in these views, it does not clarify the reason the team's showings at home have seen such a dramatic drop.

Various Shortcomings

Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to one or two factors.

Analysts and squad members have identified multiple deficiencies after the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, overconfidence, frequent changes of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.

This was obvious in the performances of the team.

Members such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.

A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to win matches.

Leadership Under Fire

The post-mortem didn't spare just the players - selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.

At his post-series press