The team is still very good, just take a little while to adjust.

That’s precisely the point I made. It is weird to me because Australia did not win 16 on the trot by batting at 2.8 runs per over! That run-rate may be “normal”, but is that the Australia we want? If that is the case, all you can expect is “normal” results! As I said… weird.

This is not the first time Australia has lost players. Through the years, many a great player has retired/stepped-down: Marsh, Big Merv, Reid, Boon, Taylor, McDermott, May, Healy, Peter Taylor, Greg Matthews… many more.

Right from the Alan Border era through Mark Taylor through the Steve Waugh era… Australia has lost players. But right from Alan Border’s time, Australia has always forced the pace and set the pace. In this match… we saw a nonsense “new age cricket” display.

No Symonds, Hayden had a poor test, no Gilchrist, no Langer. Replaced with a couple of all rounders and a blocker in Katich.

Sometimes the simple answer is the right one. Differen’t players, differen’t strategy.

Pointing has a poor record against India overall & in India in particular.

Hayden’s form is problamatic

There was one practice game.

Lee, Johnson, S Clark & White have never bowled in a test in India.

Compare this against an Indian team that has perhaps the best middle order in Indian history & one to rival any in history and two spin bowlers with about 1,000 test wicket between them.

Based on that how attacking should Australia have been?

Did India expect the test to be handed to them on a plate with reckless batting & a generous declaration?

An India team with Sehwag who has a huge record against Australia & in form.

Yet against this for most of the game only one team could win.

Ponting could have declared earlier but i suggest the “miracle test” was in his miond plus the destructive capacity of Sehwag

The game was alive for Australia to win on the last day but they weren’t good enough.

India was good enough to fight back with the bat in 1st dig & save the game on the last.

Fair call on the Ch 9 comments but what is your opinion of a senior player not being ready to play? Was it intentional time wasting or mere incompetence?

Don’t agree with you. More than any other team, Australia has placed a far greater emphasis on succession planning. Pinning this weird display from Australia on the lack of a spinner or recent retirements is too seductively simplistic, in my view.