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

Just days ago, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just one year after a decade-plus without a home loss.

The momentum established in the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of several players - as well as team coach the coach - are under scrutiny.

Early Optimism Disappears

The new-look squad's strong showing in England this summer, under a new captain, suggested a smooth transition after the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the domestic season boosted that belief, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a crushing loss.

The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill was injured early on in the first Test and took no further part in the series. Yet that fails to account for the team of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against South Africa.

Some big reputations were damaged, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the format.

Concerning History

This represented the second series sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a staggering 3-0 victory which practically cost India a place in the WTC final.

The fresh failure to the Proteas could damage India's chances of reaching the showpiece of this edition as well.

Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have dropped to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are remaining, a majority are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even against the strong Australian side. But the disasters against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.

Reasons for the Slump

India's vulnerability in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason India have fared so badly in Test matches at home in recent times is continues to confuse.

Since the turn of the century, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an exception.

Currently, India seem vulnerable in their own backyard.

Versus New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The surfaces they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.

What Happened?

A few experts argue 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 in foreign conditions.

A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which several international stars play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would pose to them before.

Even though there is validity in these views, it fails to account for why India's performances at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.

Several Weaknesses

Most former players diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.

Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws post the team's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over Test cricket.

This was evident in the showings of the team.

Cricketers like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in ability and attitude, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.

A small number - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not well enough to win matches.

Management Questions

The analysis also included the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by disappointed supporters and outspoken ex-cricketers. At the centre of the scrutiny was head coach Gautam Gambhir.

During his post-series press