Can Australia bounce back after India's woeful defeat? Pat Cummins under pressure ahead of December 6th

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Perth-etic Humiliation. Reality Check in Monstrous Loss. These were the headlines of the local sports pages following Australia’s loss against India in the first of a five-test series.

The 295-run win landed heavily with both fans and pundits, with the Sydney Morning Herald describing the affair as “one-way traffic”, saw the team looking “lost throughout”, and calls for changes ahead of the next Test in Adelaide on December 6.

With an impressive 295-run win over Australia, India now has a 1-0 advantage in the five-Test series. Captain Pat Cummins is now under a lot of pressure, but Australia is looking to bounce back without succumbing to external pressure and wavering from their pre-Series plan.

Former players deliver verdict

The Australian team did not play well, and pundits and ex-players were not shy about delivering heavy criticism towards the squad. The awful performance in Perth has led to further pressure being landed on both Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, batters who just do not seem to be in form at the moment.

However, most critics believe that the biggest problems are effort and application. Greg Blewett noted what he deemed to be unacceptable body language from the team, with no fire or passion to turn the early setbacks around.

Adam Gilchrist thinks there is more going on, asking whether it may have to do with a “divided changing room”. The buzz around a potential rift in the Australian camp became so loud, that Cummins was forced to make a media statement to deny the reports.

It’s always easy for pundits to blame desire or passion, intangibles that are often talked about following a heavy defeat. Australians expect a lot from their team, and while they have a talented squad, it may be unfair based on actual results.

Australia expects, but is it realistic?

India’s victory was impressive, but that hasn’t completely translated into a swing in expectations (just yet). Bookmakers still see Australia as competitive. However, the odds suggest India holds a slight edge overall, with a higher likelihood of a quicker finish.

Also, when you zoom out and look at what the bookies expect for the Test Series, the picture leans in the same direction. India is expected to win, with odds hovering around 5/6, and Australia at longer odds of around 9/5.

India switches the script

If we look at recent history, these odds should not be a surprise. Truth is, India is now a powerhouse in Test cricket, and Australians need to base expectations on recent form, rather than reputation and results from previous teams.

In the last six years, India has been the dominant force. They have lost only two of their last nine Tests in Australia, with only West Indies winning in the country during that same stretch.

Australia has a great squad, sure, but India is arguably even better, especially when talking head-to-head matchups. Stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah was excellent on the ball, and more importantly, he made the right decisions during the Test.

He changed bowlers when necessary, chose the correct moments to attack the Australians, and also managed to soak up pressure from their opponents without too much damage.

That’s a worry, considering the absence of Rohit Sharma was seen as a major plus for Australia going into the Test. Shubman Gill was also missing due to injury, yet it did not seem to affect the Indian squad.

In their next match, both are expected to be back, bolstering India’s already impressive line-up. It’s no surprise that in the post-match interview, Bumrah declared that he believes his team has the chance to do something very special in this Series.

Australia plan no changes

Despite the barrage of criticism and India’s exceptional performance in the first Test, it does not look like Pat Cummins and his crew will undergo many changes in the lead-up to their chance at redemption.

Cummins does not believe changes are necessary, with Mitchell Marsch the only question mark, but only as a result of injury. He has a point: the best eleven Australians were out there, and four days of action has not changed that.

Cummins says that criticism is based on a sample size of one. And Australia is still number one in the Test rankings. The performance was woeful, but it does not mean the entire foundation needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.

Nevertheless, there is cause for concern. Australia lost against the West Indies, albeit surprisingly, earlier this year. With the loss against India, it means Australia has lost twice in a row at home for the first time since 2016/17.

The cracks may be showing, but Cummins is still confident. But as they say, the proof will be in the pudding. Should Australia lose again, the pressure may be too much for the skipper, with changes surely following.

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