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India's surprising 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the recent Test series has plunged the side into crisis.

Earlier this week, the visiting team gave India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in India in two and a half decades and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.

The positive trajectory built over the previous half-year has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.

A Promising Start Disappears

The new-look squad's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover following the almost concurrent retirements of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.

India were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill was injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against the opposition.

A number of star cricketers suffered, and multiple individuals hoping for extended tenures in Tests were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.

Concerning History

This represented the second clean sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.

The fresh failure to South Africa could damage the team's hopes of making the showpiece of this season as well.

After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Though nine additional matches are remaining, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such assurance.

Reasons for the Slump

India's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason India have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil recently is remains puzzling.

Since the turn of the century, India were seen as impregnable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an anomaly.

Today, India look to be beatable on home turf.

Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.

The Core Issue

A few experts argue that India is struggling in home conditions because domestic pitches have been modified from turners to quick wickets to prepare players to perform better abroad.

Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would challenge them with before.

Although there is validity in these views, it still does not explain the reason the team's showings on home soil have experienced such a dramatic drop.

Several Weaknesses

The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complicated issue, not limited to one or two factors.

Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws post the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.

This was obvious in the showings of the squad.

Members like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.

A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to win matches.

Coaching Scrutiny

The review also included the entire setup - team selectors and support staff were also criticized, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gautam Gambhir.

During his post-series press