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The Indian cricket team'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 inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's first series win in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.

The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has largely dissipated and the careers of multiple squad members - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.

Early Optimism Vanishes

The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a smooth transition post the near-simultaneous retirements of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the home season enhanced that perception, until the Proteas arrived to deliver a crushing loss.

India were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill suffered an injury early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that fails to account for the team of the well below standard display in the two games against South Africa.

Some big reputations suffered, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were exposed as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.

Concerning History

It was the second whitewash at home experienced by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage India's hopes of qualifying for the decider of this edition too.

From number three in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to number five. Though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for such comfort.

Causes of the Fall

India's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, why the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil recently is still bewildering.

In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were seen as impregnable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and aided their squad, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an anomaly.

Currently, the team seem easy pickings at home.

Against New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as the opposition used them more effectively, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.

What's Gone Wrong?

A few experts argue that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been changed from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better abroad.

A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players take part, has reduced the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would present to them before.

While there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain why the side's results at home have experienced such a sharp fall.

Multiple Failings

Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.

Analysts and squad members have pointed to several failings after the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the starting eleven, and emphasizing limited-overs over Test cricket.

This was obvious in the displays of the team.

Members such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.

A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but inadequately to secure victories.

Management Questions

The post-mortem didn't spare not only the cricketers - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.

At his post-series press