The Indian National Cricket Team suffered a defeat by 30 runs against Temba Bavuma-led South Africa in the 1st Test match of the IDFC First Bank Test Series at Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in Kolkata. This defeat left the Indian team trailing 0-1 in the two-match series. Chasing a simple target of 124 runs, the Men in Blue lost wickets early and cheaply and got all-out for 93 runs. This defeat versus the Proteas has raised serious questions about the Indian team's preparation, mindset, and, in particular, their ability to play spin.

This isn't the 1st time the Indian team has suffered such a defeat in Test-Cricket under head-coach Gautam Gambhir . The Men in Blue's weakness against spin bowling has been exposed on multiple occassions. Last year, New Zealand, led by Tim Southee whitewashed India 0-3 in their home conditions. At that time, India's star batsmen were completely outfoxed by the spin-bowling trio of Ajaz Patel, Mitchell Santner, and Ish Sodhi. Now, the Indian batsmen are struggling against South Africa's spinners as well.

Left-arm orthodox bowler Simon Harmer also took four wickets in both innings of the Kolkata Test. Second spinner Keshav Maharaj also performed brilliantly for the South African team. The Indian batsmen were unable to execute their shots properly or rotate the strike against them. Batsmen like Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, and Rishabh Pant were dismissed by playing irresponsible shots.

Serious questions about Gautam Gambhir's coaching:

South African captain Temba Bavuma set an example of how to bat in difficult conditions by scoring an unbeaten 55 in the second innings. Indian batsmen could have at least learned from Bavuma. India's repeated strategic and technical errors have also put Gautam Gambhir's coaching approach under scrutiny. Such consistent failures against spin at home have raised the question: is the new Indian team forgetting its former strengths in playing spin?

Gautam Gambhir also made some questionable decisions. The Indian team fielded four spinners in this match, which was far from appropriate. Instead of fielding four spinners, Sai Sudarshan was dropped from the playing XI. Sudarshan had shown considerable intent with the bat in the Test series against the West Indies. Since Sudarshan didn't play in this match, Washington Sundar was sent in at number three.

When Ravindra Jadeja was still playing, it was incomprehensible to include Axar Patel in the playing XI. Axar and Jadeja are similar all-rounders. Guru Gambhir is a master of experimentation. While most of his experiments have been successful in T20 and ODI cricket, his coaching in Test cricket has come under scrutiny.

Gautam Gambhir, furious with his batsmen

GG blamed the defeat on the batsmen. Gambhir said that the batsmen should learn to play spinners. Gambhir's remarks made it clear that the team has significant shortcomings, which will need to be addressed. If the batsmen have flaws in their technique, it is the team coach's job to correct them.

Gautam Gambhir said after the defeat, "This is the surface we requested for, and we've received it. Understanding how to handle spin is crucial. The majority of the wickets fell to the fast bowlers. I believe that chasing down 124 runs would have been quite achievable. Accumulating runs necessitates the proper mindset, and this is the outcome of poor performance."

Once considered invincible at home, Team India is now losing Test matches against strong teams. India has lost four of its last six home Tests. Meanwhile, between 2015 and 2022, India lost only two home Tests. The biggest reasons for this decline are being attributed to the persistent failure of the middle order and its continued struggle against spin. First against New Zealand and now South Africa, the new Indian team is becoming increasingly vulnerable against spin bowling.

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