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

Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India a record defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.

The positive trajectory established in the past six months has almost disappeared and the prospects of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.

Early Optimism Fades Quickly

The emerging side's strong showing in England this season, under a fresh leadership, suggested a seamless changeover following the near-simultaneous exits of veterans Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the domestic season enhanced that perception, until the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.

India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill got injured early on in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the well below standard performance in each match against the opposition.

A number of star cricketers suffered, and multiple individuals hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the format.

Worrying Trend

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

The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's hopes of making the decider of this edition also.

After being third in the WTC table prior to the contest, the side have been relegated to number five. Even though nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even against the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for that confidence.

Causes of the Fall

The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been clearly revealed. However, why India have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil in recent times is remains puzzling.

In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In demanding climates and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.

Today, the team seem beatable on home turf.

Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they developed to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, outplaying India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.

The Core Issue

Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is struggling at home because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to succeed abroad.

Some point out that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would pose to them in the past.

While there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have seen such a sharp fall.

Various Shortcomings

The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complicated issue, not only a couple of reasons.

Experts and participants have pointed to various flaws following India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, poor choices, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.

This was clear in the performances of the squad.

Members like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.

Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - fulfilled their talent and reputation - but not well enough to claim wins.

Management Questions

The review didn't spare just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by distraught fans and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.

In his post-series press