Where has it gone wrong for The Baggy Greens?

It's hard to not feel gutted as a supporter having witnessed the innings defeat against India, in Hyderabad.
The loss puts them 2-0 up in the series and it's been concerning as to how things played out in what will be regarded as a walk over for the opposition.

I have never felt the need to bad mouth the team or resort to overly critical analysis. If anything I find it far more important to support the boys as much as possible during these tougher situations.
However, it is only right to look at a few points of concern that lead into this game and what was witnessed in a game where our batsmen put up little fight.

Where has it gone wrong for The Baggy Greens in the Border-Gavaskar series thus far?

It would seem the selectors got it wrong, notably on two points.
Firstly, dropping Nathan Lyon was a step backwards and secondly, debuting Glenn Maxwell to play alongside Moises Henriques was a costly mistake. The rest was not about the selectors but rather our batsmen.

It was a big mistake to drop Nathan Lyon and bring in Xavier Doherty. In fact, it may have been okay to bring Doherty in but not at the expense of Lyon. It is simply another step back and we may very while find another spinners confidence has been damaged.

Jason Krejza grabbed an 8 wicket haul against India in 2008 on his debut. Despite going for plenty of runs he managed to get us wickets, something Shane Warne states he'd rather see than simply having spinners be economical and not claim wickets, vital wickets at that.

The thing is that after a poor Test against the Proteas at the WACA, he was axed and it was the end of the road for Jason as a medium-to-long term spin bowler. Krejza is now regarded as a State spinner at best.
We have also had a showcase of spinners given the debut at quick expense or given a mixed run; Bryce McGain, Beau Casson, Dan Cullen, Michael Beer (injured) and Nathan Hauritz, who did a good enough job.
Then there's been the part-time spin trial of Marcus North, Steven Smith and Cameron White.

We don't want to add Nathan Lyon to that list.

He's had one Test in India and can't be to blame. Yes, during the summer his lack of effectiveness was costly against the Proteas but it's still early days and I didn't see the need to drop him after the 1st Test.
If anything it would have been far more logical to play him and Doherty together. Another Test in the subcontinent could have only been good for his development. It was a step back as India moved forward.

The effort to improve our spin bowling doesn't rest so much with the technical dynamics of things but rather the management of the bowlers in Australia and the purpose as to why we select a spinner post-Warne. It's a topic best left to the professionals to debate and find a solution for.

Debuting Maxwell as a part-time spinner was another blunder. Not so much based on Glenn himself, but the fact we had two all-rounders and one spin bowler, having seen India's effectiveness with three spin bowlers.

Remember the Cameron White experiment? It was an absolute failure and as hard as Cameron White tried as the part-time spinner, but given the massive task of serious leg spin bowling contributions, it was all odds against him. Not his fault, but rather a selection blunder.

Maxwell managed 4 wickets for the match, one more than Doherty but it wasn't the point. Maxwell didn't give a significant contribution with the bat and as it was for Cameron White, the selectors simply asked way too much of him. It wasn't fair on his part, but I guess it will go down as experience in his books for development. It was also too difficult to debut him at the expense of Moises Henriques, even if Doherty and Lyon played as the two spinners in the starting XI.

Based on Henriques' performance in the 1st Test it would be hard to have dropped him to play Maxwell unless it was purely to have a third spin option, but what's done is done. The selectors should not try that move again as the previous incident in 2008 with Cameron White should have been a warning sign.

Having not learnt anything after the 1st Test in terms of using the spinners, the fast bowlers had too much work to do and the intensity proved to be way too much. Their pace could not be maintained and there wasn't regularly a serious pose of threat. India's batting was also brilliant in terms of how they paced things to get set. Excellent to say the least.

This is also not to put weight of blame on the shoulders of the spinners. It wasn't the case. The biggest problem is that the batsmen simply didn't get enough runs and our bowlers were exposed, especially the weaknesses of the bowling unit.

Experience is lacking in this side. I must say that although it is too hard to even predict if it would have made a difference had Mitchell Johnson been in the side, but it is that extra player with experience in the subcontinent that Michael Clarke could use. The issue still lay with the poor batting in the 1st innings which gave India a licence to attack once the lead was in place. Our bowlers were exposed.

The batsmen will know all too well about the problems but how they address over the next few days - which Michael Clarke has declared as "no rest" - will not be an easy task.

Clarke can't keep being the go-to-guy and the time has come for him to move up the order.
It's been needed for a long time and it's well known that your best batsman should not be batting at number 5. It seems the time is now to give Clarkey the push. Sure, his prolific run has been splendid at number 5 but the team needs the move and Clarke is that kind of a guy to do what is best for the side.

This still won't solve the issues of panic and thoughtless application to tackle the spin and build an innings. We've seen starts from the batsmen but they don't go on, with the exception of Clarke who continues to be amazing to watch. Even when he's made a good score, Clarke has been short on batting partners and has criticised himself when getting out. He's seen some bigger scores go sailing on by, seen how India have cashed in, and his lack of support from his batting mates directly influences this. David Warner, Ed Cowan, Shane Watson and Matt Wade can all handle these conditions, I hope they have the self-belief as well because Clarke needs it. We need it.

The weakest link, Phillip Hughes, should be given another go - dropping not always the answer - but his lack of handling spin is a massive, massive worry, which may result in him being dropped for the next Test. Usman Khawaja not an instant remedy and no evidence is there that he will miraculously be able to keep the Indian bowlers at bay. There is a chance though he will be trialled and tested.

Simply dropping guys is not a solution to the problems we face. Team unity is needed and if after a period of assessment, the majority of our batsmen have been able to improve while a few others get left behind, then it is time to resort to dropping. Hughes is an excellent batsman but the mental strength just seems to go when he puts on the white gear.

Reality is that the last two Tests have to be won in order to keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in our possession.

Based on this, and my continued belief that our batsmen are good enough to collectively put better runs on the board, I will continue to support the boys as we look ahead to the 3rd Test.
They need the support as much as ever and while I am upset and can understand many supporters are livid at the performances thus far, the series is not lost and any chances of improvement now with the build up to the Ashes must be taken.

On a final note to instil some kind of positivity, keep in mind we thumped India 4-0 in Australia during the summer of 2011/12.

This is Test cricket in India and they will always be tough to beat and the nature of the contest is harsh in their conditions. The same as it was for them against us during the home series. 
We have a team lacking experience in the sub-continent and the experience of Michael Clarke has proven to be invaluable. It shows the importance of it and this is a huge but mean learning curve.

Sadly, patience for application against a tricky spin setup - not extraordinary - has lacked.
It will indeed take serious focus and determination to turn things around for the guys. Michael Clarke is a man who shows serious responsibility. If he says they will not rest, they won't.
However, it's going to be hard work so best wishes to the boys as they prepare for another big clash with the series at stake.

Spare a thought for my mates who have traveled to India for this series. A bit bleak a result. India is good for traveling though I believe, so no shortage of ways to uplift oneself, especially with Waving The Flag.

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