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The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.

In the final match, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It was South Africa's first series win in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.

The positive trajectory built over the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - as well as head coach the coach - are now uncertain.

Early Optimism Disappears

The young team's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a fresh leadership, suggested a successful handover after the close together exits of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, before the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.

The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. But that fails to account for the side of the highly disappointing performance in each match against the opposition.

A number of star cricketers were damaged, and several players hoping for lengthy Test careers were shown as not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the format.

A Troubling Pattern

This was the second whitewash on home soil endured by India in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 win which effectively cost the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming the team's chances of reaching the showpiece of this cycle as well.

Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Though nine more Tests are yet to be played, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - including against the strong Australian side. However the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for that confidence.

Reasons for the Slump

The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests at home lately is remains puzzling.

From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an anomaly.

Now, India seem easy pickings in their own backyard.

Facing the Kiwis in 2024 and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they prepared to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, outplaying the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.

What Happened?

A few experts argue that India is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.

Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has reduced the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would present to them in the past.

Even though there is some truth in these views, it fails to account for why the side's results on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.

Various Shortcomings

Many past stars point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not limited to a few causes.

Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws following India's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.

This was clear in the performances of the squad.

Members such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar 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 lackadaisical method.

Only a handful - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.

Coaching Scrutiny

The review also included not only the cricketers - team selectors and coaching staff were also criticized, driven by disappointed supporters and critical former players. In the spotlight of the scrutiny was head coach Gambhir.

During his post-series press