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The Indian cricket team's shocking 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded Test series has left the team reeling.

Earlier this week, South Africa handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It marked the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.

The momentum built over the last several months has all but vanished and the prospects of several players - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.

Early Optimism Disappears

The young team's commendable display in the UK this season, under a new captain, pointed to a seamless changeover after the almost concurrent exits of veterans R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

A straightforward 2-0 victory over the Windies at the start of the home season strengthened that view, before the South Africans came and inflicted a devastating defeat.

India were somewhat unlucky that captain Shubman Gill got injured early on in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. Yet that does not excuse or justify the team of the terribly sub-par showing in each match against South Africa.

Several established players suffered, and multiple individuals aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.

Worrying Trend

This represented the second whitewash in home conditions experienced by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a surprising 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a berth in the WTC final.

The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's hopes of making the showpiece of this edition as well.

After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have been relegated to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are remaining, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even against the strong Australian side. But the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such assurance.

Reasons for the Slump

The national team's weakness in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, why the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil recently is remains puzzling.

From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an aberration.

Currently, India look to be beatable on home turf.

Against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing the home team's players when it mattered most.

What's Gone Wrong?

Certain analysts propose that India is failing at home because local wickets have been altered from turners to quick wickets to train the squad to succeed abroad.

A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them earlier.

Although there is validity in these views, it fails to account for why India's performances at home have experienced such a sharp fall.

Several Weaknesses

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

Experts and participants have identified various flaws post India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, frequent changes of the team lineup, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.

This was evident in the showings of the team.

Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - were found wanting in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.

A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to claim wins.

Coaching Scrutiny

The analysis didn't spare not only the cricketers - selectors and backroom team were also under fire, spurred on by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.

During his post-series press