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

Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and the host nation's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.

The positive trajectory built over the past six months has almost disappeared and the careers of a number of cricketers - as well as team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.

A Promising Start Disappears

The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a new captain, pointed to a smooth transition after the almost concurrent departures of veterans R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.

A straightforward 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home campaign strengthened that view, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.

India were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. But that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in both Tests against South Africa.

Some big reputations were damaged, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be not up to the mark - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.

Worrying Trend

It was the second series sweep at home suffered by India in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 triumph which effectively cost India a berth in the Test championship finale.

The recent defeat to the Proteas threatens to derail India's chances of qualifying for the decider of this season also.

From number three in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, India have been relegated to number five. Though nine further games are yet to be played, a majority are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a major plus - even when facing the mighty Aussies. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.

Reasons for the Slump

The national team's weakness in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why the team have fared so badly in Test matches at home lately is continues to confuse.

From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that helped spin and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an aberration.

Currently, India appear to be easy pickings on home turf.

Against the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as rivals exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.

The Core Issue

Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.

Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them earlier.

Although there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify the reason India's performances on home soil have witnessed such a sharp fall.

Various Shortcomings

Most former players point to a complicated issue, not just a couple of reasons.

Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws post the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the playing XI, and prioritising white-ball over Test cricket.

This was evident in the showings of the side.

Players 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 aiming to establish their spot in the side - were found wanting in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.

Only a handful - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to win matches.

Leadership Under Fire

The post-mortem also included not only the cricketers - the selection panel and coaching staff were also criticized, spurred on by upset followers and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.

At his post-series press