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India's unexpected 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

Just days ago, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.

The momentum built over the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.

Initial Hope Disappears

The new-look squad's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover following the almost concurrent exits of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

An easy 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign enhanced that perception, until the Proteas came and inflicted a devastating defeat.

The home side were a tad unfortunate that leader Gill suffered an injury early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. But that fails to account for the side of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against the opposition.

Several established players suffered, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.

Concerning History

This was the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had secured a staggering 3-0 victory which effectively cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail India's prospects of qualifying for the final of this cycle as well.

Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have been relegated to fifth place. Even though nine more Tests are still to come, five of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the strong Australian side. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.

Roots of the Decline

India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason India have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.

Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an exception.

Today, the team look to be easy pickings in their own backyard.

Facing New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to suit their strengths failed miserably, as opponents exploited them better, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.

What Happened?

A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.

Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them in the past.

Even though there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.

Several Weaknesses

Many past stars point to a multi-faceted challenge, not limited to a few causes.

Critics and players have highlighted various flaws post India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, frequent changes of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.

This was obvious in the displays of the side.

Members such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.

Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.

Coaching Scrutiny

The post-mortem also included the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also criticized, spurred on by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gambhir.

During his post-series press