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India's surprising 0-2 loss to South Africa in the just finished Test series has plunged the side into crisis.

In the final match, South Africa gave India a record loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It marked South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.

The positive trajectory established in the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of several players - including head coach the coach - now hang in the balance.

A Promising Start Fades Quickly

The new-look squad's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover after the near-simultaneous exits of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.

An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the home season strengthened that view, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.

The home side were a tad unfortunate that skipper Gill was injured early on in the initial match and took no further part in the contest. However, that does not excuse or justify the squad of the terribly sub-par display in both Tests against South Africa.

Several established players suffered, and a few members eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.

Worrying Trend

It was the second series sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 win which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's chances of making the decider of this cycle as well.

Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to the fifth spot. Although nine more Tests are remaining, a majority are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. However the failures against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for such comfort.

Causes of the Fall

The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. That said, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home lately is continues to confuse.

From the year 2000 onwards, India were regarded as unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, the hosts dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against England, was considered an aberration.

Currently, the team look to be vulnerable in their own backyard.

Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.

What Happened?

A few experts argue that India is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.

Others highlight that the IPL, in which several international stars participate, has removed the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.

While there is validity in each argument, it fails to account for the reason the team's showings on home soil have seen such a dramatic drop.

Multiple Failings

Most former players point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just a few causes.

Experts and participants have identified various flaws post India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over the longer format.

This was obvious in the displays of the side.

Players such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - were found wanting in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.

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

Coaching Scrutiny

The review didn't spare not only the cricketers - selectors and support staff were also under fire, driven by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. Under focus of the examination was head coach Gambhir.

In his post-series press