India’s deficiency in technique and tactics showed up sorely in the defeat in the opening match of the tri-series at Melbourne.

There was hope that after a fine win in the T20 match a few days earlier the team had turned the corner.

But this was a different format and Australia’s best players this summer were back in action to make it a lop-sided contest.

True, it was a truncated game which, it might be argued, riddled the strategy with complications and did not allow the Indian team full opportunity to express their abilities. But, in all three departments of the game, M.S. Dhoni and his team fell woefully short.

Ricky Ponting’s two stunning catches at gully to dismiss Tendulkar and Kohli could be seen as game-changing, but this was not the only highlight of Australia’s performances.

The Hussey brothers batted with devastating aggression, Mitchell Starc was superb with his pace and line, and Matthew Wade quite splendid both in front of and behind the wickets.

Old-timers or new, the Australians played with a gusto that is the hall-mark of a team on a roll and hungry for every success.

There was just no relenting despite the comprehensive triumph in the Test series. Clearly Michael Clarke’s statement that he wants to lead his team to become top of the pops again is backed by hard intent.

The boldest display by the Indian team was in leaving out Virender Sehwag. It must seem absurd that somebody who made 219 in his last ODI would find no place, but the dashing opener has hit a trough on this tour and there was clearly nobody else who could make way for Tendulkar.

The more debatable decision was to play only two pacemen on a pitch that was evidently going to have fair bounce and pace.

Two specialist spinners when the side is packed with part-time bowlers (India used eight bowlers for the 32 overs) turned out to be an ill-conceived decision as neither Ashwin nor Jadeja could even control the flow of runs, leave aside taking wickets.

The fast bowlers had given India a fairly good foothold in the game, `Million Dollar Baby’ Vinay Kumar celebrating his newfound riches in the recent Indian Premier League auction in a superb display.

He worked up good pace and got fair bounce and seam movement to make early inroads in the Australian batting. But this advantage was squandered by the other bowlers who were listless and error-prone.

The most prodigal was the `Two Million Dollar Baby’ from this year’s IPL auction, Ravindra Jadeja who had a complete off-day with bat and ball.

Once the threat from Vinay Kumar and Praveen Kumar was seen off, runs came in a windfall for Australia, the last nine overs yielding a whopping 96 as the fielding too went to pieces!

There was no cheer from the batting either. Indeed, India’s run chase was disastrous, giving rise to fears that the team had lapsed back into its wicked, wicked ways after the T20 win.

The tri-series winds its way through nearly five weeks, so there is little time for rest and repair. Australia have looked virtually unbeatable, but it would be folly to underestimate the Sri Lankans despite their recent travails involving the captaincy.

In limited overs cricket at least, they looked fair match to South Africa on the recent tour. India will have to relook its strategies and team composition.

But even more effort needs to be spent on rebuilding morale and a sense of positivity in the squad. Nothing obviously can alleviate the ignominy of a 0-4 whitewash in the Tests.

But a place in the final of the ODI tournament — perchance even a win — would makes at least save this trip Down Under from becoming a grand dunking of Indian cricket.