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India's unexpected 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

In the final match, the visiting team inflicted upon India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.

The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the careers of multiple squad members - along with team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.

Initial Hope Fades Quickly

The new-look squad's strong showing in the UK this season, under a new captain, suggested a seamless changeover post the near-simultaneous departures of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, until the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.

India were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the opening Test and took no further part in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against the opposition.

Some big reputations were damaged, and a few members aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.

A Troubling Pattern

It was the second series sweep on home soil suffered by India in just more than a year. In 2024, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 triumph which effectively cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage the team's hopes of making the showpiece of this cycle also.

After being third in the WTC table prior to the contest, the side have been relegated to number five. Even though nine further games are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Typically, playing at home would be a major plus - even against the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.

Roots of the Decline

The national team's weakness in Test cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests at home lately is still bewildering.

In the 21st century, India were regarded as impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that assisted spinners and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, such as in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an aberration.

Today, the team look to be easy pickings at home.

Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they curated to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, surpassing the home team's players when it was most crucial.

The Core Issue

Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.

A few mention that the IPL, in which several international stars play, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would challenge them with earlier.

While there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it still does not explain why the team's showings on home soil have witnessed such a dramatic drop.

Multiple Failings

The majority of ex-cricketers point to a multi-faceted challenge, not just a couple of reasons.

Critics and players have highlighted various flaws after India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and prioritising limited-overs over Test cricket.

This was clear in the showings of the team.

Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.

Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not well enough to win matches.

Management Questions

The analysis also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and backroom team were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.

During his post-series press