Australia have the right players in India, they just need to choose them

The Australian men’s Test team has had an almost predetermined horrible tour of India, and there is a lot of blame to go around. But we do have the right team on the ground to at least make a contest of the third and fourth Tests; we just need to pick that team.

The blame game

Australia’s sport media has been justifiably harsh in analysing the tour of India. Unsurprisingly, though entirely dishearteningly, the Australian public has been both livid and shameful in their disdain – but those are the joys of the anonymity of social media, right?

Many of the criticisms levelled against the team have been short-sighted and vitriolic for the sake of vitriol. There have been numerous bright points throughout the series, like the batting performances from Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne and the bowling form of Todd Murphy and Nathan Lyon.

Unfortunately, many more of the criticisms have been entirely justifiable. Each player found attempting any type of sweep shot for the remainder of the Test series should be forced to donate $1000 to the victims of the earthquake in Turkiye and Syria or to the defence of Ukraine or something.

(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Australia’s on-field tactics have been apathetic for the most part, and it’s unclear whether this is the fault of Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, or the coaching staff. Subsequent revelations that Cummins’s mother is dying should (hopefully) serve to cut the captain some slack but only serves to further indict the inaction of Australia’s coaching staff.

However, let’s be clear on this one thing: the answer is not and never has been Justin Langer.

And it is these more undefinable off-field aspects of cricket – the selections, coaching, backroom conversations et cetera – that have been Australia’s ultimate downfall of this Indian series.

The selectors botched things from the beginning by focusing too intensely on the state and traits of the wickets, serving to shape the fears of our batters while similarly failing to pick a team that could win.

Case in point: that Travis Head was dropped from the first Test and that an entire coterie of spinners was delivered to the Subcontinent showed the ultimate short-sightedness of our selectors. Travis Head bowls much better than part-time off spin and is also the fourth-ranked Test batter in the world – in fact have three of the top four. There was no need to overload our squad with multiple fresh-faced rookie spinners when our top three batters – Labuschagne, Smith and Head – all bowl spin (to varying degrees of success).

That the selectors were so swayed by hype and perception – the first win for India’s Test team, not to mention the local media – ended with us sending three injured pacemen, an untried rookie and the indefatigable Scott Boland. Still at home is Michael Neser – who should have been a lock given his abilities with both ball and bat – as well as the likes of Wes Agar, Mark Steketee and Sean Abbott.

(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

What’s done is done

The injuries to Australia’s bowlers in the lead-up to this India series certainly hamstrung selections to some degree, and no-one in their right mind would think to leave Mitchell Starc or Cameron Green home if there was a chance they could come good on the tour. But Josh Hazlewood’s history should have unfortunately seen him left home in favour of Neser, and at least one of the debutant spinners should have made way for Glenn Maxwell (admittedly this last selection is debatable at best).

However, those players are not (yet) on tour, and we have sent home Hazlewood as well as David Warner due to injury and Pat Cummins for genuine personal concerns. Mitchell Swepson is already gone, as is Ashton Agar, leaving a much pared down squad from which to select.

But the makings of a competitive and experienced Australian Test team are nevertheless in the offing.

While the likes of Cameron Bancroft and Matthew Short will hopefully be in the discussion to join the team for the forthcoming Ashes tour in England, Travis Head and Usman Khawaja have both batted well in India and should be opening.

Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith will surely both retain their third and fourth spots respectively. While Labuschagne has suffered at the hands of some bad luck and lack of discipline, both can be dealt with if he persists. Smith, on the other hand, just needs to go back to batting like he has been and put out of his mind any Subcontinent-specific lessons he may have taught himself.

Similarly, Smith will hopefully bring a more competitive edge to the captaincy.

Peter Handscomb has long been denied his rightful place in Australia’s Test team and should hopefully be there to stay for a while to come. Cameron Green is firming up to return from injury, while someone just needs to give Alex Carey a metaphorical smack upside the head in the hopes it will knock some sense into his batting.

That’s a top seven of Head, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith, Handscomb, Green and Carey, leaving room for four bowlers.

Mitchell Starc has said he’s ready to go despite a bit of discomfort. This will be a blessed relief for the Aussies, who have needed his skill and presence at the crease – and in the batting line-up – from the get-go.

Both Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy are sure to retain their spots, with both having bowled well and at times brilliantly – the first Test for Murphy, the second Test for Lyon.

The final spot should obviously be given to Scott Boland, who bowled well in the first Test and can mimic the persistent line and length of Cummins. With Lyon and Murphy in and with Head in reserve, Australia can return to a pace-dominant attack led by Starc and Boland and with Green on hand to fill in the extra overs and add some extra bounce for the Indians to handle.

That it has taken this long for Starc and Green to return from injury is unfortunate, and it has allowed for the rediscovery of Peter Handscomb, but the third Test in Indore should finally see an Australian team made up of our best – not just those who were deemed necessary after our selectors were hoodwinked by an infinitely confident Indian team playing at home.