One of the most high-profile series between India and Australia turned out to be a damp squib. India played far below its potential and even the Aussies were surprised by the ridiculous ease in which they conquered the 'Final Frontier'. In fact, there were too many controversies that took the gloss off the series. In the end, the Aussies might as well have been thanking their stars that by the time they were tested for the only time in the series, it was already theirs. They left having been rolled for 93 in their last innings, and took the opportunity to blame the pitch in Mumbai. It was typical of the Aussies!

Now that it's time for a post-mortem, let's take a look at what went wrong for India.

Infighting within the Board:

Overall, the team played far below its potential with the batsmen being the main culprits. And even the Board of Control for Cricket in India made itself an object of ridicule in the way it (mis)handled the television rights issue. In fact, in the lead-up to the series, the Board was at war with itself over television rights and, more importantly, the high-profile annual elections featuring the Pawar group versus the Dalmiya group. It definitely shifted the focus and affected the home team pretty badly.

The weak Indian batting:

Most of India's best results in recent years have come mainly because its formidable batting line-up was able to flex its muscles. Accordingly, on the eve of the series, when the Australian captain Adam Gilchrist was quizzed about the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, he was honest enough to admit, "No doubt, Sachin is a great player and any side would miss him. But if you look at the previous series between the sides, it has been Rahul Dravid and the VVS Laxman who have hurt us more." Indeed, some of India's sensational victories over Australia, most notably in Kolkata and Adelaide, have been built upon the heroics of both Dravid and Laxman. Thus, the extended run-drought from these two stars cost India dearly. If the Very Very Special Laxman looked Very Very Suspect, Dravid himself was far from his best denying the middle order its customary solidity.

Shane Warne's greatest contribution on his last tour of India was that he got Laxman, who was an eyesore to the Aussies, more often than not. Said Gilchrist, "I don't care how many wickets Shane gets here. If he gets Laxman out in every innings in this series, that is good enough for me."

Lack of solid starts:

India never really had a decent opening partnership in the series and it left the middle-order exposed to the likes of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz too early. Both Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra had worked wonders at the top of the order in Australia and in Pakistan. They were a perfect foil for each other, Sehwag's aggression being complemented by Chopra's solidity. Yet, as it were, Aakash Chopra found himself under a lot of pressure because Sourav Ganguly was openly backing Yuvraj Singh. And being woefully short of confidence and without his captain's backing, he just could not get his act right. Sehwag himself had just one good innings in Chennai, where he made a huge statement of intent.

The Tendulkar factor:

The absence of Sachin Tendulkar was a huge blow. And with the trusted pair of Dravid and Laxman failing to measure up to expectations, his wealth of experience was badly missed. For someone who had an impressive average of 57 against the Australians, and one who had taken their attack by the scruff of its neck, his absence hurt all the more. Ricky Ponting put things in perspective on the eve of the Mumbai Test when, while analyzing the big difference between the two sides in the series, he said, "Tendulkar missing the first two Tests was a big blow to India. Because his mere presence lifts the others in the side. He has an overwhelming presence in the dressing room. When he is at the wicket, he constantly talks to the other guys and helps them out in the middle." What he missed out probably was that, in Chennai, Tendulkar's variety at the bowling crease might just have hastened the end of the match-saving stand between Damien Martyn and Jason Gillespie.

Sourav Ganguly's outburst:

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly's going to town, thanks to the grass on the Nagpur pitch, and his subsequent withdrawal from the Test due to a thigh strain only added to the team's discomfort. It took the focus away from what was a very crucial Test for Team India. Similarly, his last-minute withdrawal, that too after he had declared himself fit in the media briefing, left Rahul Dravid no time to work out his game-plan. In fact, he was caught completely off guard. Ganguly repeated the "Kabhie Haan, Kabhie Naa" syndrome in Mumbai, which did not go down well with his senior colleagues. Then again, he was very much in Mumbai when his colleagues staged one of the biggest coups against Australia. Yet, for some reasons, he stayed away from the dressing room, which again did not win him any friends. If anything it only underlined the talks of a rift within the team.

Australia's preparation was perfect:

It would unfair if the Australians do not get the credit for all years of blood, sweat and tears they spent in their careful planning and execution. As Adam Gilchrist said, the Aussies were preparing for this tour of reckoning since 2001. They had learnt from the mistakes they made in 2001 and were definitely wiser for the experience. Thus, very few of their top-order batsmen got out to sweep shots. The natural flair and flamboyance had been replaced by solidity and occupation of the crease. The bowling was disciplined and every bowler had a definite game-plan for each and every Indian batsman. And even the field placements were defensive, making sure that runs came at a premium for the free-scoring Indian batsmen. Overall, the intensity, the desire to win and the passion to conquer the 'Final Frontier' carried them through as they surfed on the spirit of self-belief and commitment to the cause. India also did not enjoy the rub of the green with either the toss or with the umpiring. In Bangalore, India was definitely at the receiving end of a few crucial decisions.

Home advantage???:

Last, but not the least, India did not make the most of the 'home advantage', which had in the past made winning in India the ultimate challenge for most teams. To be sure, if Australia, South Africa, England and New Zealand were to prepare turning tracks, India would never lose a series abroad. As a matter of fact, New Zealand prepared green-tops when India last toured Kiwi-land. But nobody talked about an ICC pitch inquiry. Australia did enjoy themselves on 'un-Indian' tracks until they got to Mumbai. A square turner caught them with their pants down. They lost in two days and couldn't chase 107. And this when the eighth and ninth wicket stands frustrated India for over two hours and added 45 runs! The Aussies were lucky in Chennai and were still happy to have come across an Indian team hopelessly out of form right through the series. But their batting was exposed in Mumbai and they left cursing the Mumbai pitch. Had every venue prepared wickets to suit Team India, Australia would have struggled right through. And who knows we might have had a different result!