Visitors have gone 2-0 down, largely thanks to a preconceived idea of playing sweeps to India’s spinners, come what may
A week ago in Nagpur, Australia’s batting collapse in the first Border-Gavaskar Test came while trailing badly with no realistic route back. It was not ideal but broadly made sense. A week later in Delhi, their collapse was the second surrender of ascendancy in the match. In the second innings they had allowed India’s last three partnerships to reduce Australia’s three-figure lead to a single run. In the third innings, the visitors were 66 ahead on a pitch where 180 might well have been enough, only to lose their last nine wickets for 59.
Over the previous year and a half, as these Australians prepared for and undertook a multi-series Asian odyssey to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and now India, there has been a formula to questions about batting preparation. The paraphrased answer was like this: “Everyone is different, so guys will be coming up with their own plans. Whether that’s the sweep and reverse sweep, or whatever it may be.”