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

Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and the host nation's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.

The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has all but vanished and the prospects of multiple squad members - as well as head coach the coach - are now uncertain.

Early Optimism Fades Quickly

The emerging side's strong showing in England this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover following the near-simultaneous retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the beginning of the domestic season enhanced that perception, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a crushing loss.

India were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill got injured very early in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against South Africa.

Several established players suffered, and a few members aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.

A Troubling Pattern

This was the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by India in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 triumph which essentially denied the hosts a place in the WTC final.

The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming India's chances of qualifying for the decider of this season also.

After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Even though nine additional matches are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even when facing the mighty Aussies. However the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.

Reasons for the Slump

The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.

From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket at home. In demanding climates and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. The occasional loss, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an exception.

Today, India appear to be easy pickings at home.

Against New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as opponents exploited them better, outplaying the home team's players when it mattered most.

What's Gone Wrong?

A few experts argue that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because local wickets have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to succeed in foreign conditions.

A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.

While there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have witnessed such a staggering decline.

Several Weaknesses

Most former players identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a few causes.

Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies post India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.

This was obvious in the performances of the side.

Members such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - fell short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.

A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to secure victories.

Coaching Scrutiny

The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - selectors and backroom team were also questioned, spurred on by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was head coach Gautam Gambhir.

During his post-series press