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India's unexpected 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recent red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.

Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's first series win in India in 25 years and India's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.

The momentum established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.

Early Optimism Fades Quickly

The young team's strong showing in England this season, under a fresh leadership, pointed to a successful handover following the almost concurrent exits of key players R Ashwin, Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season enhanced that perception, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.

India were a bit unlucky that skipper Gill got injured very early in the opening Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that does not excuse or justify the squad of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against the opposition.

Several established players took a hit, and multiple individuals eyeing lengthy Test careers were exposed as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the format.

A Troubling Pattern

This represented the second whitewash in home conditions endured by India in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had secured a remarkable 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the Test championship finale.

The fresh failure to the Proteas risks harming India's prospects of qualifying for the showpiece of this season also.

After being third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to fifth place. Though nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - including against the powerful Australians. However the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for such comfort.

Roots of the Decline

India's frailty in the longer format has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, why India have struggled so much in Test matches at home in recent times is still bewildering.

Since the turn of the century, India were regarded as invincible in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on pitches that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an exception.

Now, the team look to be beatable on home turf.

Against the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, India were beaten at their own game. The surfaces they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.

What Happened?

Some suggest that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to do well abroad.

Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has taken away the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would pose to them earlier.

Even though there is some truth in each argument, it fails to account for why India's performances on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.

Multiple Failings

The majority of ex-cricketers point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a couple of reasons.

Analysts and squad members have highlighted multiple deficiencies following the team's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.

This was evident in the showings of the side.

Members such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.

A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to win matches.

Coaching Scrutiny

The review targeted not only the cricketers - team selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the examination was mentor Gambhir.

During his post-series press