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The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recently concluded Test series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India their heaviest defeat in terms of runs, defying expectations. It marked South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's second defeat at home in just 12 months after a 12-year unbeaten run.

The momentum established in the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - including head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.

A Promising Start Vanishes

The young team's impressive performance in the UK this season, under a fresh leadership, suggested a successful handover post the almost concurrent departures of key players R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

A facile 2-0 triumph over West Indies at the start of the domestic season boosted that belief, till the Proteas arrived to deliver a devastating defeat.

India were somewhat unlucky that leader Gill suffered an injury early on in the opening Test and did not participate again in the series. However, that fails to account for the side of the well below standard performance in both Tests against South Africa.

A number of star cricketers suffered, and multiple individuals eyeing long red-ball careers were exposed as not yet good enough - technically or mentally - for the format.

Worrying Trend

It was the second series sweep on home soil endured by India in just a year. Last year, unfancied New Zealand had achieved a remarkable 3-0 victory which practically cost India a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The recent defeat to the Proteas could damage India's chances of making the decider of this season as well.

After being third in the WTC rankings before the series, the side have been relegated to fifth place. Though nine additional matches are still to come, a majority are against the Aussies. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a significant benefit - even against the mighty Aussies. However the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.

Roots of the Decline

India's weakness in red-ball cricket has been clearly revealed. That said, the reason the team have fared so badly in Test matches on home soil recently is continues to confuse.

From the year 2000 onwards, India were seen as invincible in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that helped spin and benefited their players, the hosts brooked no opposition. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was considered an aberration.

Currently, India look to be beatable on home turf.

Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa this year, India were beaten at their own game. The tracks they prepared to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals exploited them better, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.

The Core Issue

Some suggest that the Indian team is floundering in home conditions because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to get cricketers ready to perform better in foreign conditions.

A few mention that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which many overseas players take part, has removed the mystery and hardship home wickets would present to them before.

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

Various Shortcomings

The majority of ex-cricketers point to a multi-faceted challenge, not only one or two factors.

Experts and participants have highlighted multiple deficiencies following the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, poor preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.

This was obvious in the performances of the team.

Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their lack of application, while Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were looking to cement their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their casual attitude.

A small number - Jadeja, Bumrah, Kuldeep, Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their talent and reputation - but not sufficiently to secure victories.

Leadership Under Fire

The analysis didn't spare just the players - the selection panel and support staff were also under fire, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. In the spotlight of the examination was mentor Gambhir.

During his post-series press