Australia swept aside by India in manic parade of cross-batted wallops

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.”

Watching Australia get bowled out for 113 on Sunday, the thought occurred that the implied broadness at the end of that answer might actually cover an absence. The verbal equivalent of an encompassing wave of the hand at a panoply of options might in truth be a vague gesture in the direction of nothing at all. Perhaps all this time, the sweep shot was the only addition that most players had to business as usual.

The only other specific note to emerge publicly from Nagpur was Steve Smith’s encouragement to play positively, after that collapse preyed on defence from the crease. Seeing Travis Head make 39 from 40 balls opening the batting on the second evening further encouraged the rest to copy his approach after he got out on the third morning.

So the Delhi sequel became a manic parade of