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India's shocking 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in India in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.

The momentum established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the futures of several players - along with head mentor the coach - are under scrutiny.

Early Optimism Vanishes

The young team's commendable display in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover post the near-simultaneous retirements of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.

An easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a fell blow.

India were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the initial match and did not participate again in the contest. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the well below standard showing in the two games against South Africa.

Some big reputations took a hit, and several players aspiring to long red-ball careers were exposed as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.

Concerning History

It was the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by India in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a surprising 3-0 triumph which effectively cost the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The fresh failure to South Africa could damage the team's chances of qualifying for the final of this edition as well.

From number three in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have dropped to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a major plus - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the failures against New Zealand and South Africa offer no room for such comfort.

Causes of the Fall

The national team's vulnerability in Test cricket has been badly exposed. However, why the team have fared so badly in Tests on home soil in recent times is still bewildering.

Since the turn of the century, India were considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against England, was viewed as an exception.

Today, India seem easy pickings on home turf.

Facing the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas this year, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they curated to help their style backfired spectacularly, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.

The Core Issue

Some suggest that India is struggling in home conditions because home surfaces have been changed from turners to pace-friendly pitches to train the squad to do well abroad.

Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has removed the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them earlier.

Even though there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for why the side's results at home have seen such a dramatic drop.

Several Weaknesses

Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not just a few causes.

Critics and players have pointed to multiple deficiencies after India's embarrassing defeat to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, inadequate readiness, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the team lineup, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.

This was clear in the performances of the side.

Players like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were aiming to establish their spot in the side - were found wanting in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.

A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not well enough to claim wins.

Coaching Scrutiny

The post-mortem also included just the players - selectors and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the examination was team coach Gambhir.

In his post-series press