Labuschagne,Smith and Handscomb are our best players of spin,so they must play. Head should have played the first Test as the in-form player,so leaving him out,even without hindsight,was a huge mistake.

As a naturally aggressive opener,Head is a good foil for the more resolute Khawaja,but if either of them gets a start,they must take a leaf out of Rohit Sharma’s book and get a big score. Opening,especially in the first innings,is the best time to bat in these conditions,so one of these guys must get runs if Australia are to post a competitive score.

Because the modern Indian spinner does not try to beat opponents in the air as much as in days of yore,there are not as many opportunities to get down the wicket as there once were,but the Australian batters must still seek those opportunities to get off strike and force the bowlers away from the danger zone. If they aren’t prepared to leave the crease,it is only a matter of time before they get trapped on it and go back to one that skids through.

Playing off the back foot in India is tempting fate. The Australians must get forward as a matter of course on wickets that offer uneven bounce. It is time we adjusted to the prevailing conditions. We can’t continue to bat and bowl as though we are on Australian pitches.

Labuschagne and Smith,as the best batters in the side,must make runs if Australia is to win. They have both looked good at times in the first two Tests,so they have shown that they are capable of making runs. One plan that should be considered is that the rest of the batting line-up bat around them and build partnerships.

Handscomb has looked as good as any of the Australians against spin,so he must find a way to turn a cameo into an innings of note. One thing we know is that getting a start in these conditions is tough,so,if one does the hard work,one must cash in and get a score.

Green will be the man in the spotlight. The Indian spinners will be pleased to see another rookie come to the crease,but it is to be hoped that he has learnt from watching the travails of his colleagues in the first two Tests and that he uses his extra reach judiciously. Even though the first few overs are critical to survive,Green must still look for the scoring opportunities. This doesn’t mean looking for big shots,he must just keep turning the strike over and building partnerships.

The Australian lower order is not as gifted as their Indian counterparts,but they must work a lot harder than they have so far. Lower-order runs,as we have seen from the Indians,can break the opposition bowlers’ hearts and the opposition batsmen’s resolve.

Cummins has seemed distracted(understandably,we now know) and certainly has not been proactive enough as captain so far,so Smith must change that in Indore. The Indian lower order must not be allowed to bat comfortably on the front foot.

Lyon looked better in Delhi and will have to repeat that in Indore. Murphy has been good,but the physical,mental and emotional toll on him as a tyro in Test cricket and in the conditions will be huge,so he cannot be expected to carry the attack.

The Australian public are rightly incensed that our team has shown so little fight in the series so far. Sights of batsman being dismissed playing the reverse sweep first ball,and playing as though this series is not critical to the future,rankle. Australian cricket must realise that playing against India is not a sideshow,but the big show on par with or bigger than The Ashes.

Cricket Australia executives and the board are not blameless in this either. They have presided over the dismantling of the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane,which was carrying on the tremendous legacy of the Cricket Academy in Adelaide which Rod Marsh led with pride for many years. Rod oversaw the development of some of the strongest teams of the 1990s and the early 2000s. He will be turning over in his grave to see what his life’s work has been reduced to.

The board,presumably,has also signed off on unfit players going on tour and the subsequent revolving door of players being sent as an afterthought and others returning home – the airport transfers business in India is thriving.

As a former first-class player said in relation to this whole circus,“What the f--- is going on?”

The players inherited a proud legacy from Australian teams of the past;this is the time for them to stand up.

Australian cricket has had their collective noses bloodied in the first two Tests and everyone involved must take their share of the blame. If the team is to turn the tables in the series,it will help that the wounds are not self-inflicted from here on.

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