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India's surprising 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has left the team reeling.

Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, against all odds. It was South Africa's first series win 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 established in the past six months has largely dissipated and the prospects of multiple squad members - along with head mentor Gautam Gambhir - now hang in the balance.

A Promising Start Vanishes

The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a different skipper, pointed to a successful handover following the near-simultaneous exits of stalwarts Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.

A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the commencement of the home campaign boosted that belief, before the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.

The home side were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury very early in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that fails to account for the squad of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against the opposition.

Some big reputations suffered, and several players hoping for extended tenures in Tests were exposed as not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.

A Troubling Pattern

This was the second series sweep at home endured by India in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied New Zealand had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which effectively cost the hosts a place in the Test championship finale.

The latest loss to the Proteas could damage India's hopes of reaching the decider of this edition also.

From number three in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine more Tests are remaining, half of these are against Australia. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for that confidence.

Causes of the Fall

India's vulnerability in the longer format has been badly exposed. That said, the reason India have performed so poorly in Tests at home in recent times is remains puzzling.

From the year 2000 onwards, India were considered invincible in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an aberration.

Currently, the team look to be easy pickings on home turf.

Against the Kiwis in 2024 and South Africa currently, the home side were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to help their style went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.

What's Gone Wrong?

A few experts argue that India is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been changed from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to succeed overseas.

Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has reduced the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would challenge them with in the past.

Even though there is validity in each argument, it still does not explain the reason the side's results at home have witnessed such a dramatic drop.

Various Shortcomings

Most former players diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a couple of reasons.

Analysts and squad members have pointed to various flaws following India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, lack of preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, regular alterations of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over Test cricket.

This was evident in the performances of the team.

Members such as Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - were found wanting in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.

Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but inadequately to claim wins.

Coaching Scrutiny

The review targeted not only the cricketers - selectors and support staff were also questioned, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the scrutiny was mentor Gambhir.

During his post-series press