Maybe they could have limited the damage, or maybe the pitch was unplayable. Or perhaps it's no accident that Nathan Lyon has now ended up with the best-ever figures for a spinner in a Test match against India.
While Vijay and Kohli put up masterful displays of batting on Saturday -with Michael Clarke praising the innings as two of the finest he had seen --the rest, it can be said, weren't up to par. Cheteshwar Pujara, for example, has now lost his wicket to Nathan Lyon for the fourth time in Tests, the most to any one bowler.
Graeme Swann tormented the Indian batsmen in their own den in 2012, while Saeed Ajmal had his fair share of success before his action was called into question. In England, Moeen Ali became an embarrassment.
There have been six instances of finger spinners grabbing five wickets or more in an innings against India in the last five years. Lyon figures thrice - twice now in Adelaide and once in Delhi - while Swann and Shane Shillingford feature twice. Muttiah Muralitharan in Galle in 2010 and Suraj Randiv in Colombo on the same tour too have their names on the list, as does Moeen Ali in Southampton earlier this year.
The likely reason is that India tend to relax against spin. But that was not the issue here. This was a pitch where Lyon had all the help, and India paid the price for thinking they could chase the target down. "Nathan has improved a lot as a bowler since the last time he came to India," said Kohli. "He was troubling the batsmen throughout and was a challenge to play in the middle. He was bowling in the right spots. Kudos to Vijay, the ball was turning square for an opener."
Before the series began, Rohit Sharma was asked if the Indians would go after Nathan Lyon. There were smirks all around, as if that was an obvious question. Rohit's smile suggested it would be hard for the Indians to resist. "It depends on the situation," he finally said. It was obvious the question of Nathan Lyon transforming into a big threat on Aussie pitches had not crossed his mind.
With the ball too, India missed Ravichandran Ashwin, and it was one of Virat Kohli's blunders to play Karn Sharma ahead of the established off-spinner. Kohli admitted he had misread the pitch. "That was my personal decision. Someone told me this drop-in pitch remains consistent throughout but it was turning square. No regrets, it was a plan I thought would work. I felt Karn was bowling better than the other spinners."
The point is now moot, with pace expected to do all the talking in the next Test at the Gabba. India, however, would do well to still be wary of Lyon.
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