As far as predictions go, it’s fair to say Harbhajan Singh got it spectacularly wrong. For starters, Australia won’t lose the series 4-0 anymore, after a 333-run win in Pune in the first Test of the series. And now, not just Bhajji, but the world now knows this Australian side is more than just about Smith and Warner. There’s a certain Steve O’Keefe — 6 for 35 in the first innings and 6 for 35 in the second innings — who etched himself into cricketing history with the best match figures by a visiting spinner in India. 

In less than three days, Australia have taken a 1-0 lead in a series that practically was written off as a whitewash in most quarters, even before a ball was bowled. 

How exactly did that happen? 

India’s batting, of course

• Steve Smith in one innings: 109
• India’s first innings: 105 all out
• India’s second innings: 107 all out

Yes, of course India lost the match because of their batting. For a team that had scored over 600 runs in three consecutive innings leading in to this Test, they collectively managed 212 runs. Virat Kohli, in a brutally honest press conference, laid the blame squarely at the feet of the Indian batsmen.

“Worst batting performance in two years,” he said. 

In fact, the collapse in the first innings, when India went from 94 for 3 to 105 all out, is the worst 7-wicket collapse in Indian history. And With Kohli scoring 13 runs in two innings combined — his worst effort in a home Test where he has batted twice — the much-vaunted Indian batting lineup came up a cropper against a spinner who Shane Warne thought had no business playing in the first place.

Boy, that’s got to sting.

But is that it? Not quite, Virat. Not quite.

Fielding

Did someone turn the clock back by 20 years? India’s catching in Pune was the worst it has been in a long, long time. For a side that is widely recognised as the best fielding unit in India’s history, Kohli’s men came a cropper when it came to holding on to the chances the bowlers created. On a pitch where every run was as precious than an ATM that dispenses cash in demonetised India, the catching was atrocious. Smith, the world’s top-ranked Test batsman, doesn’t need more than one opportunity to make the opposition pay for their mistakes but Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane and Abhimanyu Mithun offered him four. 

With Australia taking a first innings lead of 155 runs, the only hope India could have had of coming back into the match was to bowl out Australia cheaply and that included getting Smith early. Instead, they gave him the chance to play one of the best innings ever played by a visiting batsman on a turning Indian track.

Preparation

It must also be pointed out that Australia was simply more up for this match than India. The Aussies, who have been on a wretched run in Asia losing the last 9 Tests they played in the sub-continent, had extended preparations in Dubai. They roped in Monty Panesar and Sridharan Sriram as spin consultants. They fielded a second string T20 side in the series against Sri Lanka. They had a tour match in Mumbai too.

India, meanwhile, had a match against Bangladesh and had a near-invincible aura around them. 

Kohli admitted to this being a wake-up call.

“I would say that we needed something like this for a reality check and understand what we need to work on and not take anything for granted.”

Read between the lines there. While it would be a disservice to say this team was over-confident, it won’t be a stretch to say Australia was simply more prepared and wanted the win more.

Indian spinners out-bowled

“I won’t blame the bowlers at all. Our batsmen put us in that position.” 

That’s as straight forward a response as you can imagine from Kohli when asked if Australia’s spinners were better than India’s wrecking crew led by the world’s two best bowlers. But in reality, O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon bowled much better than Jadeja and Ashwin managed on a track which narrowed the difference in class between the two sides. 

Keeping aside the debate over the pitch, Indian spinners did not bowl the same lengths that their Aussie counter-parts did. While the visitors adapted quicker, the Indian trio were found wanting. Umesh Yadav ended up being the best bowler for India on a raging turner — that tells you a story right there.

All in all, a forgettable for performance by India on every count. Kohli insisted that his team did not underestimate Australia after the match. Whether that is true or not, they sure as heck will know better when the coin is flipped in Bangalore.