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India's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

In the final match, the visiting team gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, against all odds. This represented South Africa's first series win in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.

The winning rhythm built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the prospects of multiple squad members - including head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.

Early Optimism Disappears

The young team's strong showing in the UK this season, under a different skipper, pointed to a seamless changeover following the close together departures of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

A straightforward 2-0 victory over West Indies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, before the Proteas came and inflicted a crushing loss.

India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Gill got injured quickly in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. Yet that fails to account for the team of the terribly sub-par showing in the two games against the opposition.

A number of star cricketers suffered, and several players aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the Test cricket.

Worrying Trend

This represented the second clean sweep at home suffered by India in just a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 triumph which practically cost India a berth in the WTC final.

The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail India's hopes of making the decider of this season too.

Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have been relegated to number five. Although nine more Tests are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.

Reasons for the Slump

India's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason the team have struggled so much in Tests at home in recent times is remains puzzling.

Since the turn of the century, India were considered unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was seen as an exception.

Currently, the team seem easy pickings in their own backyard.

Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they developed to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.

The Core Issue

Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling at home because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well overseas.

Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has removed the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them in the past.

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

Various Shortcomings

Most former players point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.

Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies after India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, poor choices, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.

This was obvious in the displays of the team.

Cricketers like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.

Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.

Leadership Under Fire

The analysis also included just the players - team selectors and backroom team were also questioned, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was mentor Gambhir.

In his post-series press