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The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

In the final match, South Africa handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.

The positive trajectory gained during the last several months has largely dissipated and the prospects of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.

Early Optimism Vanishes

The new-look squad's commendable display in England this season, under a fresh leadership, indicated a seamless changeover after the close together retirements of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the home season enhanced that perception, till the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.

The home side were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing showing in the two games against South Africa.

Some big reputations suffered, and multiple individuals aspiring to long red-ball careers were shown as still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the format.

Concerning History

This represented the second clean sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a place in the WTC final.

The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage India's prospects of reaching the decider of this cycle also.

Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have dropped to number five. Although nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.

Reasons for the Slump

The national team's weakness in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil recently is still bewildering.

From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable 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 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an aberration.

Now, India appear to be easy pickings in their own backyard.

Facing the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they developed to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.

What's Gone Wrong?

Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.

Some point out that the IPL, in which many overseas players play, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would challenge them with in the past.

Although there is some truth in each argument, it fails to account for the reason India's performances on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.

Various Shortcomings

The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not limited to a few causes.

Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies post the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.

This was obvious in the showings of the team.

Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - came up short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.

Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.

Leadership Under Fire

The analysis didn't spare the entire setup - team selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.

At his post-series press