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India's shocking 0-2 loss to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has plunged the side into crisis.

Just days ago, South Africa inflicted upon India a record defeat in terms of runs, contrary to predictions. It marked the Proteas' initial series triumph in India in a quarter-century and the host nation's another home failure in just a year after a decade-plus without a home loss.

The positive trajectory gained during the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of several players - including team coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.

Initial Hope Fades Quickly

The emerging side's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a different skipper, suggested a successful handover following the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.

A facile 2-0 triumph over the Windies at the commencement of the home season strengthened that view, until the Proteas came and inflicted a fell blow.

India were somewhat unlucky that leader Shubman Gill suffered an injury early on in the first Test and was ruled out in the series. But that does not excuse or justify the squad of the well below standard display in the two games against South Africa.

A number of star cricketers were damaged, and a few members eyeing lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the longer format.

Concerning History

This was the second whitewash in home conditions suffered by the Indian team in just a year. Last year, unfancied the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 win which effectively cost India a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

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

Previously ranked third in the Test championship standings ahead of the matches, the side have fallen to number five. Even though nine additional matches are yet to be played, five of these are against Australia. Typically, performing in familiar conditions would be a huge advantage - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such comfort.

Causes of the Fall

The national team's frailty in red-ball cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, the reason 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 considered impregnable in Test cricket in home conditions. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that assisted spinners and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was viewed as an anomaly.

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

Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, India were beaten at their own game. The pitches they curated to help their style went wrong completely, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.

What's Gone Wrong?

Some suggest that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been altered from turners to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.

Some point out that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players play, has reduced the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them earlier.

Even though there is some truth in each argument, it does not clarify why the side's results on home soil have seen such a sharp fall.

Various Shortcomings

Many past stars identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.

Critics and players have identified several failings after India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, poor preparation, poor choices, arrogance, regular alterations of the playing XI, and emphasizing white-ball over red-ball cricket.

This was evident in the displays of the squad.

Players such as Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, were punished for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Dhruv Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - came up short in technique and temperament, suffering the consequences for their nonchalant approach.

Only a handful - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but not well enough to claim wins.

Coaching Scrutiny

The analysis also included the entire setup - selectors and support staff were also under fire, driven by upset followers and outspoken ex-cricketers. In the spotlight of the criticism was head coach Gambhir.

During his post-series press