Plenty Of Heart - Lack Of Skill

Ed Cowan top scored with 44

As tempting as it might be to say it, the problems which have surfaced in India are not being caused by players who, in the Australian vernacular, lack ticker. If you had watched the Australians over the three and a bit days of this Test in Hyderabad, it not a lack of effort you would have seen.

It was mostly a lack of skill ...

... and experience. For it doesn't matter how many Tests you have played, unless you have toured India and encountered the conditions there, on and off the field, you can't just walk out to bat and score runs.

These wickets haven't been the worst Australian players have batted on in India but they've been difficult. India's bowlers aren't the best spinners Australian players have faced in India but they've been difficult. It's not the worst batting line up we've put on team sheets in India but it has its difficulties.

Eventually, all those difficulties start to haunt you until even the best start to drag their feet and batting collapses start.

Australia collapsed three times in this match. In the first innings there were two collapses, either side of a 5th wicket partnership of 145 between Michael Clarke and Matthew Wade. In the second, after Dave Warner (26) and Ed Cowan (44) started with 56, the rest of the wickets could value add only a further 75.

Only four batsmen made double figures in Australia's second innings and then Clarke (16) and Wade (10) only just. The rest were bemused by the spin of the Ravis - Ashwin 5-63 and Jadeja (3-33). It was Jadeja who did all the real damage, removing Clarke with a near unplayable delivery which dropped suddenly in the last moments of its trajectory, drawing Clarke forward too late for his feet to dance and be his saviour and then spun past his outside edge onto off stump. Indian TV coverage had the replay of the delivery on high rotation, as well they should. In his next over, Jadeja fooled Cowan on length, drew him into a cut that wasn't on and the edge eventually ended in the safe hands of Virender Sehwag at slip.

Jadeja direct hit ran out
Henriques

By now, things were happening at that pace where scorers make mistakes and at the start of the following over, Moises Henriques was caught on his heels as Wade dashed away from the strike. Even with a fumble, Jadeja threw down the stumps from cover and Henriques was short by such a wide margin the on field umpire was prepared to make the decision. It all just unfolded with unnecessary haste. Had the last pair of James Pattinson and Xavier Doherty not spent eight overs over their one run last wicket partnership, the game would have ended half an hour before lunch.

Australia lost 8-57 in thirty five overs and the game by an innings and 135 runs.

Completely because it keeps getting lost in the pulling out of hair and gnashing of teeth by Aussie sports fans, it needs to be said that Australia lost this Test for the same reason that they lost in Chennai ... because India are just too good. Forget 4-0 last series in Australia. This is a different Indian side (younger, in form, at home) and they are flogging a different Australian side (younger, out of form, away).

Australia is losing because India is better than them.

It is a disaster but balance needs to be taken in examining which are the bathwater and which are the babies.

Among the positives were the second innings batting form of Cowan and Wade and strangely, Pattinson and Doherty. The Tasmanian opener used his feet fell and was as resolute as any batting we have seen from the Australians, outside of Clarke. Likewise, Wade cut the mustard against the Indian spin attack in the first innings and will have learned a lot from his time in the middle. The Australian last pair batted longer than many of the top six and the example of their determination should be noted carefully by the other three in the top four.

In the bowling list, Pattinson and Doherty were very good. Maxwell got the most wickets but was treated with disdain and no respect. Doherty, on the other hand, only had bad balls collared and there weren't that many of them. He bowled a lot of overs economically and when the wickets started to fall, he was among them.

Of the problem children, the worst are Shane Watson, Phil Hughes and Peter Siddle. Dave Warner is sitting on a chair outside the naughty boys class, expecting an invitation to join them at any time.

The 3rd Test starts in Mohali, at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, in just eight days. Change in the Australia team, you would think is inevitable. Clarke and Mickey Arthur made changes before this game in order to get the mix right but the result was the same. However, lessons have been learned.

Khawaja - for good this time?

If Cowan and Warner are quarantined on the basis of improvement in one and the unexpected from the other, it leaves Hughes and Watson as the big imponderables in the Australia batting order. Watson, as vice captain is likely to be retained, largely because Australia doesn't have the cattle on this tour to replace two batsmen. Unfortunately for Hughes, it now become prudent to ease him from the side ... rotate him perhaps ... so that Usman Khawaja can be given the spot which should have been his all along. Henriques has done enough to stay. His batting in the 1st Test and his bowling in the second were good enough.

The only equation where Watson joins Hughes in the orange jackets, would require Clarke to bat at four, Wade at five and Steven Smith at six. Can't see those three changes happening.

Siddle must be dropped. He has provided no impetus to the attack and worried no one and Australia must explore options which can upset the Indian batsmen. Starc has been tried so the time might have arrived to again punt on Mitchell Johnson. Its a long time ago, but he does have a bag of five at Mohali and perhaps some of his grunt and growl and short-pitched stuff might be useful. His batting could only add use in the tail.

If Doherty and Pattinson are to play, as their bowling in Hyderabad dictates they must, then it just leaves Maxwell.

Steve O'Keefe?

With Bird having flown home to Hobart - not Jackson - there is a place open in the  touring squad. Its time to offer a spot to Steve O'Keefe. The even bigger question is whether Clarke would entertain two left arm orthodox bowlers in the Test side? I guess it depends how much he hates losing and how far he is prepared to go to change that. The first innings declaration shows us the gambler's spirit.

Of course, selection of the side and replacements from Australia aren't the main issue for discussion around cricket conferences being held in the traditional corridors of power in Australia. Its not even the loss in Hyderabad. No, in the clubs and pubs and school yards and work places, the only topic is ... should He bat at four or stay at five?

the cricketragics side for Mohali would therefore be (in batting order):
Cowan, Warner, Khawaja, Watson, Clarke (c), Wade, Henriques, Johnson, O'Keefe, Pattinson, Doherty.