The first Test match in the ongoing India vs South Africa series goes on to prove the fact that the Indian batsmen are losing the art of playing spin. Cricket has changed and evolved over the past few years, but Test cricket continues to be the pinnacle of the game.
When India toured England and played out a 2-2 draw, everything was perceived to be good, but let's be honest, conditions in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series were nowhere close to the traditional English conditions.
Gautam Gambhir has been India's Head Coach in the Test format for over 400 days now. The Indian Test team has gone through some monumental changes since Gambhir was appointed as the coach. A 3-0 home series loss followed by an away Border-Gavaskar Trophy series defeat shook the very foundations of Indian Test cricket.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin walked away from the Indian Test team leaving a young bunch of guys to play the purest format of the game. Unfortunately, the Indian Test team, like the T20I side, has become a laboratory for failed experiments.
The number three spot which produced gems like Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahul Dravid has become a revolving door for various players. Washington Sundar became a latest addition to a list of players who have been tried at the number three spot and have not been given a long rope.
South Africa arrived in India with the distinction of being the World Test Champions and they lived up to the reputation. The Eden Gardens pitch has been the talk of the town lately, but unfortunately, it was the Indian team management that had demand for such a track. Shubman Gill not batting in both the innings due to a neck spasm is being considered as one of the reasons behind India's loss, but there is no excuse for failing to chase down 124 runs, that too in home conditions.
