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The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to the Proteas in the recently concluded red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

In the final match, the visiting team gave India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. This represented the Proteas' initial series triumph in the subcontinent in 25 years and India's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.

The momentum established in the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the prospects of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor the coach - now hang in the balance.

Early Optimism Vanishes

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

A straightforward 2-0 win over the Windies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, till the South Africans turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.

The home side were somewhat unlucky that skipper Gill suffered an injury quickly in the first Test and took no further part in the contest. Yet that neither explains nor absolves the side of the highly disappointing showing in each match against South Africa.

Several established players suffered, and several players hoping for lengthy Test careers were exposed as not up to the mark - technically or mentally - for the Test cricket.

Worrying Trend

This was the second clean sweep in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The fresh failure to the Proteas threatens to derail the team's chances of making the decider of this season too.

After being third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to the fifth spot. Although nine additional matches are yet to be played, a majority are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a huge advantage - even when facing the mighty Aussies. However the disasters against the Kiwis and the Proteas provide no basis for such assurance.

Causes of the Fall

India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, why India have fared so badly in Tests at home in recent times is still bewildering.

From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in 2012-13 against England, was considered an aberration.

Currently, the team seem vulnerable in their own backyard.

Versus New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they curated to suit their strengths backfired spectacularly, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it was most crucial.

What Happened?

Some suggest that India is floundering at home because domestic pitches have been modified from turners to quick wickets to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.

Others highlight that the domestic T20 league, in which several international stars play, has reduced the surprise and difficulty subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.

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

Multiple Failings

Most former players point to a complicated issue, not just a few causes.

Experts and participants have highlighted various flaws after India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over red-ball cricket.

This was clear in the displays of the side.

Members such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.

Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their skill and fame - but inadequately to claim wins.

Leadership Under Fire

The post-mortem didn't spare not only the cricketers - the selection panel and support staff were also criticized, spurred on by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was team coach Gambhir.

During his post-series press