Unconquerable A Thing of the Past: Why The Indian Test Match Legacy Has Crumbled

India's surprising 0-2 defeat to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has left the team reeling.

Earlier this week, South Africa inflicted upon India a record Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. This represented the Proteas' maiden series victory in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and India's second home series loss in just 12 months after a 12-year invincible streak.

The positive trajectory established in the last several months has all but vanished and the futures of a number of cricketers - along with head coach the coach - are under scrutiny.

A Promising Start Fades Quickly

The new-look squad's commendable display in the UK this season, under a new captain, suggested a seamless changeover following the almost concurrent retirements of key players Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli.

A facile 2-0 victory over West Indies at the start of the home campaign boosted that belief, before the South Africans arrived to deliver a fell blow.

India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill was injured quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the squad of the highly disappointing showing in the two games against South Africa.

Several established players took a hit, and a few members eyeing long red-ball careers were revealed to be still inadequate - in ability or temperament - for the format.

A Troubling Pattern

This represented the second clean sweep at home suffered by India in just over a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had secured a staggering 3-0 triumph which effectively cost India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The recent defeat to South Africa risks harming India's prospects of reaching the decider of this edition as well.

After being third in the Test championship standings prior to the contest, the side have been relegated to the fifth spot. Though nine further games are yet to be played, half of these are against the Aussies. Usually, performing in familiar conditions would be a major plus - even when facing the mighty Aussies. However the disasters against New Zealand and South Africa leave little scope for that confidence.

Roots of the Decline

The national team's weakness in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. That said, why India have performed so poorly in Tests at home lately is continues to confuse.

In the 21st century, the Indian cricket team were considered unbeatable in Test cricket in home conditions. Under sweltering weather and on pitches that assisted spinners and suited their batsmen and bowlers, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against England, was considered an aberration.

Today, the team seem vulnerable at home.

Versus the Kiwis in last year and South Africa currently, the home side were hoisted by their own petard. The tracks they prepared to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as the opposition exploited them better, beating the Indian batters and bowlers when it counted the most.

What's Gone Wrong?

A few experts argue that the Indian team is struggling in home conditions because local wickets have been changed from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to perform better abroad.

Others highlight that the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which numerous foreign cricketers take part, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would pose to them before.

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

Various Shortcomings

The majority of ex-cricketers diagnose a multi-faceted challenge, not only a few causes.

Experts and participants have pointed to multiple deficiencies after India's humiliating loss to the South Africans: not respecting the foe, lack of preparation, poor choices, arrogance, constant chopping and changing of the playing XI, and favoring limited-overs over the longer format.

This was obvious in the displays of the team.

Members like Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, paid for their nonchalance, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - were found wanting in technique and temperament, facing the fallout for their lackadaisical method.

Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - lived up to their skill and fame - but inadequately to claim wins.

Leadership Under Fire

The analysis targeted not only the cricketers - selectors and coaching staff were also questioned, driven by disappointed supporters and vocal past stars. Under focus of the scrutiny was team coach Gautam Gambhir.

At his post-series press