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

In the final match, South Africa handed India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. This represented the Proteas' 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 built over the past six months has largely dissipated and the futures of multiple squad members - including head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.

Initial Hope Disappears

The young team's commendable display in England this season, under a fresh leadership, suggested a smooth transition following the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

An easy 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the domestic season enhanced that perception, till the Proteas came and inflicted a crushing loss.

The home side were a bit unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill got injured early on in the first Test and took no further part in the series. But that fails to account for the squad of the terribly sub-par performance in each match against the opposition.

Some big reputations suffered, and multiple individuals eyeing long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.

Concerning History

It was the second series sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The latest loss to South Africa risks harming the team's hopes of qualifying for the showpiece of this season as well.

Previously ranked third in the WTC table before the series, India have dropped to the fifth spot. Even though nine further games are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, playing at home would be a huge advantage - including against the powerful Australians. However the debacles against New Zealand and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.

Causes of the Fall

The national team's weakness in the longer format has been clearly revealed. Nevertheless, why the team have performed so poorly in Test matches at home lately is still bewildering.

From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as unbeatable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.

Now, the team look to be vulnerable on home turf.

Against the Kiwis in last year and the Proteas currently, India were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they curated to help their style failed miserably, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.

What Happened?

Some suggest that India is failing at home because local wickets have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to do well in foreign conditions.

A few mention that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers play, has removed the mystery and hardship home wickets would pose to them earlier.

Although there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it still does not explain why the side's results at home have experienced such a staggering decline.

Various Shortcomings

The majority of ex-cricketers identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.

Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies post the team's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over red-ball cricket.

This was evident in the displays of the side.

Cricketers such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - fell short in ability and attitude, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.

Just a few - Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - lived up to their ability and standing - but not well enough to win matches.

Leadership Under Fire

The post-mortem didn't spare not only the cricketers - selectors and support staff were also under fire, driven by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was mentor Gautam Gambhir.

At his post-series press