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India's unexpected 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, 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 a year after a 12-year invincible streak.

The momentum built over the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the futures of several players - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.

A Promising Start Disappears

The young team's strong showing in England this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a smooth transition post the close together retirements of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the home season enhanced that perception, before the Proteas came and inflicted a devastating defeat.

The home side were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill got injured very early in the initial match and was ruled out in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par showing in the two games against the opposition.

Several established players were damaged, and multiple individuals aspiring to long red-ball careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.

A Troubling Pattern

It was the second series sweep on home soil suffered by India in just a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied the hosts a berth in the Test championship finale.

The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail India's hopes of reaching the final of this edition as well.

Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings prior to the contest, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are remaining, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - including against the powerful Australians. Yet the disasters against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.

Roots of the Decline

India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, the reason India have performed so poorly in Test matches on home soil lately is remains puzzling.

From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as invincible in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an anomaly.

Today, the team look to be vulnerable at home.

Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.

What Happened?

Certain analysts propose that India is floundering at home because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to train the squad to perform better overseas.

Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge Indian conditions would challenge them with in the past.

Even though there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it still does not explain the reason India's performances on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.

Several Weaknesses

The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.

Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws following the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, poor choices, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and emphasizing white-ball over the longer format.

This was clear in the showings of the team.

Members like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.

Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.

Management Questions

The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - the selection panel and support staff were also criticized, fuelled by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.

In his post-series press