Kolkata: The intimidation factor of bouncing pitches in Australia has diminished somewhat with the introduction of thicker bats, shorter boundaries, and the rise of T20 cricket, which has made aggressive batting more acceptable in Test matches. Nevertheless, Australia still offers some of the most equitable playing surfaces globally. When struck well, Kookaburra balls can travel for boundaries, and even if the outfields are heavy, the expansive grounds encourage batters to attempt three runs. However, apart from a few innings, India's batting performance this time exhibited a significant departure from traditional techniques. This is puzzling, considering that the same core group of batsmen had excelled during their previous three tours to Australia.

Where did they go wrong? The main issues were poor shot selection, an inability to bat through multiple sessions, and a lack of substantial partnerships. To analyze the decline further, it was evident that India was unprepared for New Zealand at home, as demonstrated by Mitchell Santner's ability to outmanoeuvre their top batsmen in an unexpected 0-3 defeat last October. However, this was Australia, where India had shown a different level of performance during the 2018-19 and 2020-21 series.

Although the 2014-15 series did not result in a victory, India's batting consistently exceeded expectations. All centuries were scored by top-order batsmen—four by Virat Kohli and one each by Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay, and KL Rahul, as India crossed the 300-run threshold five times in that series. In 2018-19, the number of centuries decreased to five—three by Cheteshwar Pujara and one each by Kohli and Rishabh Pant—but India still managed three innings exceeding 300 runs, including a remarkable 622/7 declared in Sydney and 443/7 declared in Melbourne.

In the 2020-21 series, the individual century count fell to just one—scored by Rahane in a memorable victory at the MCG—but India still recorded four innings over 300 runs, including 329/7 in a historic chase at Brisbane. Fast forward to 2024-25, however, and India's statistics have shifted dramatically, with only three individual centuries and just two innings surpassing the 300-run mark, underscoring a significant change in their performance.

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