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India's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent Test series has plunged the side into crisis.

Just days ago, the visiting team gave India a record Test defeat by runs, against all odds. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's another home failure in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.

The winning rhythm established in the previous half-year has almost disappeared and the prospects of several players - including head mentor the coach - are now uncertain.

A Promising Start Fades Quickly

The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this summer, under a new captain, suggested a successful handover after the close together departures of stalwarts Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the beginning of the home campaign boosted that belief, till the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.

India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. However, that neither explains nor absolves the squad of the terribly sub-par display in both Tests against South Africa.

A number of star cricketers were damaged, and several players hoping for long red-ball careers were shown as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the longer format.

Worrying Trend

This represented the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by India in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated the Kiwis had achieved a surprising 3-0 triumph which practically cost the hosts a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The fresh failure to South Africa could damage India's prospects of qualifying for the decider of this cycle also.

From number three in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have dropped to number five. Though nine more Tests are yet to be played, half of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - even against the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against New Zealand and the Proteas offer no room for such assurance.

Reasons for the Slump

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

In the 21st century, India were considered unbeatable in Test cricket at home. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. The odd series defeat, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an anomaly.

Currently, the team look to be beatable on home turf.

Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to suit their strengths went wrong completely, as the opposition capitalized on them more skillfully, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it mattered most.

The Core Issue

Some suggest that the Indian team is failing at home because local wickets have been altered from turners to quick wickets to prepare players to do well in foreign conditions.

A few mention that the IPL, in which numerous foreign cricketers participate, has taken away the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them in the past.

Although there is a degree of accuracy in each argument, it still does not explain the reason India's performances on home soil have seen such a staggering decline.

Several Weaknesses

Many past stars diagnose a complex, multi-headed problem, not only one or two factors.

Experts and participants have identified multiple deficiencies post India's embarrassing defeat to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, poor choices, arrogance, frequent changes of the playing XI, and prioritising limited-overs over the longer format.

This was evident in the performances of the squad.

Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, suffered for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - came up short in skill and mindset, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.

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

Management Questions

The analysis also included just the players - team selectors and support staff were also questioned, fuelled by distraught fans and critical former players. At the centre of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.

During his post-series press