5-0: Why Australia may never recover from Perth punch

World Test champions Australia suffered a humiliating defeat in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Captain Pat Cummins, who had earlier warned India of the challenges of a spicy pitch in Perth, suffered one of the most crushing losses of his Test career. India, defying expectations, dominated Australia in their own match to deal the first blow in this much-anticipated series.

Rarely has an Australian team capitulated so meekly, especially at home, as they did against a weakened Indian team in Perth.

Australia’s top order – featuring Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne – has been completely ineffective, collectively failing to accumulate even 50 runs across the Test. The result? A staggering defeat by 295 runs, marking their heaviest home defeat against India.

AUS vs IND, 1st test: Day 4 Highlights | Dashboard

A PREMONITION IN PERTH

The events in Perth appear to be a warning to Australia, who have been vastly outclassed by a revitalized Indian attack. With two debutants – Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy – joining Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, India fielded a new pace quartet who dominated proceedings.

While India were seen as the underdogs after losing their home series to New Zealand, they showed why a champion team should never be ruled out, whatever the conditions. That too in Australia, where the quality of the Indian fast attack is amplified, thanks to the natural help they get from the pitches. Indian batters are also feeling more comfortable in the United States after being stifled by spin in India.

Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian captain, issued a warning to Australia after the match. When asked if he preferred Perth-type pitches for the remainder of the series, a glimmer of confidence was evident in his response.

“I wouldn’t mind having a wicket with bounce and seam. I love watching fast bowlers thrive on such surfaces. Here, the challenge is different with the Kookaburra ball: it offers seam movement and bounce, but once it gets older, hitting becomes easier and bowlers need to be more precise and innovative,” Bumrah said.

“I wouldn’t call it (Perth) a bowler’s paradise, but I would be more than happy if the wickets stayed like that: fast and bouncy.”

With a bruised face after a stinging first punch, the question arises: can Australia recover from this drubbing?

AUSTRALIAN BATTERS AGING UNDER FIRE

The performance of the Australian top order in Perth paints a worrying picture. Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne all fell cheaply, making the Perth pitch look far more treacherous than it was.

Khawaja slipped in the first over and succumbed to a short ball in the second.

Steve Smith was trapped with the first ball in the first set and went close to the keeper in the second.

Labuschagne, often seen as Smith’s protege, seemed completely out of sorts, dismissed lbw in both innings and showed little intention of scoring.

MARNUS: ‘WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR BAT, MATE?’

Labuschagne faces harshest criticism for his dismal performance. Former cricketer Simon Katich, speaking to the broadcaster, highlighted the batter’s overly defensive mindset as his undoing.

“His defensive mindset cost him dearly. He faced more than 50 balls in the first innings. He said before the series that he wants to bat like (Cheteshwar) Pujara, but the difference is Pujara scores runs. Virat Kohli summed it up on the stump mic the other day when he said: “What happened to your bat, mate? You don’t use it. And that says a lot. In the second round, he took the arms again, with predictable results. He looks too scared to cut the ball,” Katich observed.

Michael Vaughan added his concerns, highlighting Australia’s lack of depth. “This batting lineup looks shaky, and no one is knocking on the door to challenge their spot. If I was an Australian fan I would be concerned about the lack of competition within the team,” Vaughan said on Fox Sports.

“A team’s standards are often determined by the players fighting for places. At the moment, I don’t see anyone doing that,” he concluded.

The fact that Alex Carey averages the highest – 33.55 – in Test matches for Australia in 2024 is a telling testament to the poor form this Australian batting line-up was in during the year civil.

Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith are 6th and 7th on the list respectively, having scored 245 and 230 points. While Labuschagne has an average of 24.50, Smith has an average of 25.55 after playing 6 matches each in 2024. Khawaja, on the other hand, is no better, averaging 26 in 6 Tests.

GREAT RAPIDS MADE TO WORK

Australia’s vaunted pace attack, featuring Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, looked far from the best. While Hazlewood took five wickets in the first innings, the trio struggled to contain Indian batters Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli in the second. India went on the run, setting itself a gigantic goal.

The absence of Cameron Green, Australia’s reliable fourth seamer, was sorely felt. Forced to use seven bowling options, including Labuschagne and Travis Head, Australia’s bowling attack looked desperate and tired. At one point, Labuschagne was playing negative lines to prevent Indian batters from scoring quickly, much to the dismay of some of the Australian legends who attacked this.

Australia bowled a total of 134.3 overs in the second innings of the match and were hit for 487 runs, at over 3.5 runs per over in difficult batting conditions. In response, Australia folded in just 58.4 overs after their opening order came home in 15 runs.

TEST OF THE PINK BALL TO USE MISERY

As the series moves to Adelaide for the Pink Ball Test, Australia’s prospects look bleak. Traditionally dominant in the spotlight, their faltering form and flagging confidence could cause problems against the supercharged Indian Battery, led by Bumrah.

If Australia falter in Adelaide, a once-unthinkable 5-0 series defeat could occur. It is more likely, however, that this series will spell the end of the careers of some of Australian cricket’s finest servants.