Should India persist with same players?

BRISBANE: It is easy to lambast a team when it is down. It's not so easy to identify the causes and engineer a remedy.

The twin defeats in Australia have raised the question of whether Team India is happy to merely compete away from home. Do they have the skill and temperament to win at least one of the remaining two Tests, beginning with the Boxing Day match in Melbourne?

It also brings under the scanner the team's long-term plan regarding the tricky issue of blooding youngsters - which ones can be carried in the team for a while longer to gain experience, and which ones should be discarded?

In both Tests, India have looked more intent on talking about and showcasing their new-found positive approach away from home. The results, meanwhile, have gone south. The team's decision to highlight the state of practice pitches as a possible precursor to defeat too appears an ill-timed distraction.

Rather than change tack according to the situation or go for the kill in positions of ascendancy, the focus - as Dhoni admitted at the Gabba - has been on that old cliche of process, rather than result. The general refrain has been that the team is inexperienced. As Dhoni said, the team will take some more time to "cross the line".

It's an argument which might not help some of the players keep their spots in the team.

Whether under Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni, the common approach has been to take the bull by the horns in moments of crisis, or at least appear to be doing so. It's a fresh approach which appeals to the youngsters in the team. Though it hasn't always worked, Dhoni seemed pleased that India had been able to offer moments in the match when they seemed competitive.

"The exciting part is that we have competed," he said. "The last time we were here we were not really able to compete. That is something very crucial because when you are competing and it is going to the last hour and the last day and the last moment, the match can turn. What it means is one good spell or a run out or a couple of catches...it all boils down to that. A little bit of luck really matters in cricket."

Unfortunately, the match at the Gabba lasted only four days, and the result can't be explained away by bad luck. Asked how long the team was willing to carry individuals to give them 'experience', Dhoni said, "There is no substitute to that....till the time youngsters play matches and gain experience. We cannot get experienced players from anywhere. The more we play overseas the more experience we will gain."

It appears that India's dismal away record since 2011, during which they have often been accused of being reactive and unimaginative, has left deep psychological scars which the team is struggling to shake off. It also appears some of the batsmen, in particular, might have been asked to fill boots which are simply too big for them.

Even the fine team of the mid-2000s started out raw, with players performing poorly in South Africa and Australia and the West Indies. It was only post-2001 that their performances attained memorable levels.

Dhoni seemed to recognize the problem when he said, "You just accept the result but at the same time don't throw in the towel. With a bit more experience to both bowlers and batsmen this can turn out to be a very good side.

"Overall there are plenty of areas in which a lot of improvement has been made. We have been able to take plenty of wickets. But we are not crossing the line. That 'crossing the line' is like a wine that is brewing. Once they start crossing the line and start harnessing the aggression in right channels you will see plenty of good results from this side."

But is this the right crop of youngsters? Any team in transition needs a patient approach, but if a team is happy to be merely competitive, the selectors must decide whether it's time to let the wine brew or bring in fresh stock.

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