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The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

In the final match, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' first series win in India in two and a half decades and the host nation's second home series loss in just a year after a 12-year unbeaten run.

The winning rhythm built over the past six months has largely dissipated and the futures of several players - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.

A Promising Start Fades Quickly

The young team's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition after the almost concurrent departures of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the beginning of the domestic season strengthened that view, before the Proteas arrived to deliver a fell blow.

The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against South Africa.

Some big reputations suffered, and a few members aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.

Worrying Trend

This was the second clean sweep on home soil suffered by India in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 win which effectively cost India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The latest loss to South Africa threatens to derail the team's chances of qualifying for the showpiece of this edition too.

After being third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have dropped to fifth place. Even though nine more Tests are still to come, half of these are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such assurance.

Reasons for the Slump

India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. However, why the team have fared so badly in Tests at home lately is still bewildering.

Since the turn of the century, India were regarded as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an aberration.

Now, India look to be easy pickings at home.

Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they curated to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the home team's players when it was most crucial.

What Happened?

A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing at home because local wickets have been changed from turners to quick wickets to prepare players to perform better in foreign conditions.

Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would pose to them before.

Even though there is some truth in each argument, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings at home have seen such a staggering decline.

Various Shortcomings

The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complicated issue, not only a few causes.

Critics and players have identified various flaws after India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, overconfidence, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.

This was obvious in the displays of the team.

Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, were punished for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - came up short in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.

Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but inadequately to claim wins.

Leadership Under Fire

The post-mortem also included just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also criticized, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.

During his post-series press