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India's shocking 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.

In the final match, South Africa gave India a record Test defeat by runs, contrary to predictions. This represented South Africa's initial series triumph in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just one year after a 12-year invincible streak.

The winning rhythm built over the past six months has all but vanished and the careers of several players - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.

Initial Hope Disappears

The new-look squad's impressive performance in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, suggested a successful handover after the close together departures of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.

A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the beginning of the home season enhanced that perception, until the South Africans turned up and handed out a crushing loss.

India were a tad unfortunate that captain Gill got injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. However, that fails to account for the team of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against South Africa.

A number of star cricketers suffered, and a few members eyeing extended tenures in Tests were exposed as not yet good enough - in ability or temperament - for the format.

Concerning History

This was the second series sweep on home soil experienced by the Indian team in just a year. In 2024, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a remarkable 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a spot in the WTC final.

The latest loss to South Africa could damage the team's chances of reaching the showpiece of this edition as well.

From number three in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, India have been relegated to number five. Although nine additional matches are remaining, five of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, competing on home turf would be a major plus - including against the powerful Australians. Yet the failures against New Zealand and the Proteas leave little scope for such comfort.

Causes of the Fall

India's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. Nevertheless, the reason the team have performed so poorly in Tests on home soil lately is remains puzzling.

From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered impregnable in red-ball cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on surfaces that helped spin and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The occasional loss, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an anomaly.

Today, the team seem easy pickings on home turf.

Facing New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they prepared to help their style backfired spectacularly, as opponents capitalized on them more skillfully, surpassing the Indian batters and bowlers when it was most crucial.

What Happened?

Some suggest that India is failing in home conditions because home surfaces have been altered from turners to fast tracks to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.

Others highlight that the IPL, in which several international stars play, has reduced the mystery and hardship Indian conditions would present to them in the past.

Even though there is validity in both analyses, it does not clarify the reason the side's results at home have seen such a staggering decline.

Several Weaknesses

Many past stars point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not only a few causes.

Analysts and squad members have pointed to multiple deficiencies following India's disappointing performance to the Proteas: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, questionable picks, arrogance, regular alterations of the playing XI, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.

This was obvious in the showings of the team.

Members such as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their spot in the side - were found wanting in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their casual attitude.

Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not well enough to win matches.

Management Questions

The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - selectors and support staff were also questioned, spurred on by distraught fans and critical former players. At the centre of the criticism was team coach Gambhir.

In his post-series press