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

Earlier this week, South Africa gave India a record loss in Test cricket, against all odds. It was the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.

The positive trajectory gained during the previous half-year has largely dissipated and the futures of a number of cricketers - including head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.

Initial Hope Disappears

The new-look squad's commendable display in England this season, under a new captain, pointed to a smooth transition after the almost concurrent retirements of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.

An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season strengthened that view, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.

India were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill got injured very early in the initial match and took no further part in the series. However, that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against South Africa.

Some big reputations were damaged, and several players hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.

A Troubling Pattern

This represented the second whitewash on home soil suffered by India in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which practically cost India a berth in the WTC final.

The latest loss to the Proteas could damage India's hopes of reaching the showpiece of this edition also.

After being third in the WTC table prior to the contest, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. But the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.

Causes of the Fall

The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. However, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests at home in recent times is continues to confuse.

Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, India brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an exception.

Today, the team look to be beatable on home turf.

Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they prepared to help their style failed miserably, as the opposition used them more effectively, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.

The Core Issue

A few experts argue that India is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been altered from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better overseas.

A few mention that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them in the past.

Even though there is validity in each argument, it does not clarify why the side's results on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.

Multiple Failings

The majority of ex-cricketers identify a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a few causes.

Analysts and squad members have identified various flaws following the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.

This was obvious in the displays of the squad.

Members like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - came up short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their nonchalant approach.

A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but inadequately to win matches.

Leadership Under Fire

The review didn't spare not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. At the centre of the examination was mentor Gambhir.

In his post-series press