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The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

Just days ago, South Africa gave India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, against all odds. This represented South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.

The momentum gained during the past six months has largely dissipated and the futures of several players - as well as head mentor Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.

Initial Hope Fades Quickly

The emerging side's commendable display in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a successful handover following the near-simultaneous departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

An easy 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the commencement of the home season boosted that belief, before the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.

The home side were a bit unlucky that captain Shubman Gill got injured quickly in the initial match and was ruled out in the series. But that neither explains nor absolves the team of the terribly sub-par display in both Tests against South Africa.

Some big reputations were damaged, and multiple individuals hoping for long red-ball careers were exposed as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.

Worrying Trend

This was the second series sweep on home soil endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a surprising 3-0 win which essentially denied the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming India's hopes of making the showpiece of this season too.

After being third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to number five. Although nine more Tests are remaining, half of these are against the Aussies. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even when facing the mighty Aussies. However the failures against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for such assurance.

Causes of the Fall

India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, why the team have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil in recent times is continues to confuse.

In the 21st century, India were regarded as impregnable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on tracks that favored spin bowling and benefited their players, India dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, like in 2012-13 against England, was seen as an aberration.

Currently, the team look to be vulnerable in their own backyard.

Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, India were defeated by their own tactics. The pitches they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the home team's players when it counted the most.

What Happened?

Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because home surfaces have been changed from turners to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.

A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players participate, has reduced the surprise and difficulty Indian conditions would present to them before.

Even though there is validity in these views, it does not clarify why the team's showings on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.

Multiple Failings

Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.

Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies after India's humiliating loss to the Proteas: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, questionable picks, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the playing XI, and emphasizing limited-overs over the longer format.

This was obvious in the showings of the squad.

Members such as Pant and Jaiswal, of whom so much was expected, paid for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their place in the team - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their lackadaisical method.

Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - fulfilled their ability and standing - but inadequately to win matches.

Coaching Scrutiny

The post-mortem targeted not only the cricketers - team selectors and backroom team were also criticized, driven by upset followers and critical former players. Under focus of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.

During his post-series press