Perth : Australia captain Pat Cummins admitted the massive 295-run defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener against India was "fairly disappointing" and it was just one of those games where a lot of things didn't go right for them.
Even with an impeccable Test record in Peth, Australia crumbled in front of India's spicy spells and belligerent batting unit. Apart from dominating the first two sessions of the opening day, Australia were chasing India's shadow for the rest of the Test.
Cummins exuded confidence in Australia's preparations a day before the series opener and saw his side look out of depth while facing India's relatively new-looking setup.
The Australian skipper reflected on the events that unfolded on the field in the past four days. He made their intention clear about returning to winning ways before heading to Adelaide for the second Test.
"Fairly disappointing. We thought our prep leading into it was good. Everyone was firing. It's just one of those games.. not much went right. It is what it is. After a loss, you want to get back on the horse pretty quickly. But we'll take a couple of days rest and get into Adelaide," Cummins said in the post-match presentation.
Australia had a window of opportunity to put pressure on India after making Jasprit Bumrah's side pack their bags on 150. The chance that was meant to be seized was let go by Australia.
Indian pace trio, featuring Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana, upped the ante, which left Australian batters rattled. The famed Australian stars fell like a house of cards while trying to deal with India's fiery spells. Australia looked down and out at the end of Day 1 after being reduced to 67/7.
Cummins felt if they had managed to hold on to a couple of wickets, things could have panned out differently on Day 2 instead of folding on 104. "We didn't give ourselves a chance - a few different facets. Late on Day 1, if we had got through that period, things would've been different on Day 2. There's a lot of experience there (in the batting). This summer it's a sample size of one. There will be plenty of conversations and plenty of time in the nets. Conversations around what we could've done differently," he added.
After India took a vital 46-run lead in the first innings, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli turned Perth into a batting paradise. They effortlessly hammered runs at their convenience, which made Australia wear out. Rahul struck 77, Jaiswal blazed his way to 161, and Kohli ended his 16-inning Test century drought with an unbeaten 100. India declared on 487/6, setting a mammoth total of 534 for Australia to chase for victory.
Eventually, it turned out to be a job that was too much for Australia's destructive batters. Apart from Travis Head's (89) and Mitchell Marsh's (47) contributions, the rest of Australia's unit fell flat and endured a 295-run defeat, their biggest against India on their turf.