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The Indian cricket team's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.

Earlier this week, the visiting team inflicted upon India a record loss in Test cricket, defying expectations. It was South Africa's initial series triumph in India in two and a half decades and India's second home series loss in just one year after a 12-year unbeaten run.

The momentum established in the last several months has almost disappeared and the futures of multiple squad members - along with head coach Gautam Gambhir - are now uncertain.

Early Optimism Fades Quickly

The young team's commendable display in the UK this summer, under a new captain, indicated a successful handover post the almost concurrent exits of stalwarts R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.

A facile 2-0 win over West Indies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, until the Proteas turned up and handed out a devastating defeat.

India were a bit unlucky that leader Shubman Gill suffered an injury very early in the initial match and took no further part in the series. However, that does not excuse or justify the side of the highly disappointing performance in the two games against the opposition.

Several established players were damaged, and several players eyeing long red-ball careers were shown as not up to the mark - in skill or mindset - for the longer format.

Worrying Trend

It was the second whitewash at home experienced by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, underestimated New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 triumph which essentially denied India a spot in the WTC final.

The latest loss to the Proteas threatens to derail India's chances of reaching the decider of this cycle as well.

Previously ranked third in the WTC table prior to the contest, India have fallen to number five. Although nine additional matches are still to come, half of these are against the Aussies. Ordinarily, playing at home would be a significant benefit - even when facing the powerful Australians. However the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa provide no basis for such assurance.

Reasons for the Slump

The national team's vulnerability in the longer format has been badly exposed. However, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests at home recently is continues to confuse.

From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket at home. In demanding climates and on surfaces that favored spin bowling and suited their batsmen and bowlers, the hosts brooked no opposition. The odd series defeat, like in the 2012-13 season against the English, was viewed as an aberration.

Now, the team look to be easy pickings at home.

Against New Zealand in last year and South Africa this year, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The surfaces they developed to favor their game went wrong completely, as the opposition exploited them better, beating the home team's players when it mattered most.

The Core Issue

Some suggest that India is failing at home because home surfaces have been altered from spinning tracks to pace-friendly pitches to get cricketers ready to perform better overseas.

A few mention that the domestic T20 league, in which many overseas players play, has taken away the surprise and difficulty home wickets would challenge them with in the past.

While there is a degree of accuracy in these views, it fails to account for the reason the side's results on home soil have experienced such a staggering decline.

Various Shortcomings

The majority of ex-cricketers identify a multi-faceted challenge, not only a couple of reasons.

Experts and participants have identified several failings after the team's disappointing performance to the Proteas: not respecting the foe, poor preparation, poor choices, overconfidence, constant chopping and changing of the starting eleven, and favoring white-ball over red-ball cricket.

This was evident in the displays of the squad.

Members like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their carelessness, while Sai Sudarshan, Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their spot in the side - fell short in skill and mindset, paying a heavy price for their nonchalant approach.

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

Management Questions

The review didn't spare the entire setup - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, driven by upset followers and vocal past stars. Under focus of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.

At his post-series press