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India's unexpected 0-2 loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

In the final match, South Africa handed India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, contrary to predictions. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's second defeat at home in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.

The winning rhythm built over the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the futures of multiple squad members - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.

A Promising Start Fades Quickly

The young team's strong showing in the UK this summer, under a new captain, suggested a successful handover following the close together exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the domestic season boosted that belief, before the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.

The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill got injured early on in the initial match and did not participate again in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the team of the well below standard showing in the two games against South Africa.

Several established players suffered, and multiple individuals hoping for long red-ball careers were revealed to be not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.

Worrying Trend

This represented the second whitewash on home soil suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had secured a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a spot in the WTC final.

The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's prospects of reaching the final of this cycle as well.

After being third in the Test championship standings before the series, the side have dropped to number five. Though nine additional matches are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Typically, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even when facing the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and the Proteas offer no room for such comfort.

Causes of the Fall

The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil lately is continues to confuse.

In the 21st century, India were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that helped spin and aided their squad, the hosts faced little challenge. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.

Today, India look to be easy pickings on home turf.

Facing New Zealand in last year and the Proteas currently, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to suit their strengths failed miserably, as rivals used them more effectively, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.

The Core Issue

Some suggest that the Indian team is struggling at home because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to do well abroad.

Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has removed the mystery and hardship subcontinental pitches would challenge them with earlier.

Even though there is some truth in each argument, it fails to account for why the team's showings at home have witnessed such a sharp fall.

Several Weaknesses

Many past stars point to a complicated issue, not only one or two factors.

Experts and participants have highlighted several failings following India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, flawed selections, arrogance, regular alterations of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over the longer format.

This was evident in the showings of the team.

Cricketers such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their position in the squad - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.

A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their skill and fame - but not sufficiently to secure victories.

Coaching Scrutiny

The analysis also included not only the cricketers - the selection panel and backroom team were also criticized, fuelled by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. At the centre of the examination was team coach Gambhir.

At his post-series press