Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 3rd Test: Can Aussies end horror show?

On the way between airport and Holkar Cricket Stadium, the venue for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy's third and penultimate Test, the roads here are dotted with cafes, restaurants and paan shops bearing interesting names. One such place might have particularly hit home for the Australians. Horrors Cafe!

While Indore can't be accused of a wicked sense of humour, Australians can't be faulted for believing otherwise.

With only pride to fight for having lost the right to retain the trophy, Australia have a seemingly insurmountable task ahead of them in what promises to be another short affair. Skill wise, this may not be the weakest Australian side to set foot on the Indian soil but it certainly is one of the meekest in terms of temperament.

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They appear to have left behind their trademark hard-nosed Aussie fortitude at home. Their obsession over the nature of the pitches has messed up their mindsets which is obvious if you look at their poor tactical nous that has led to poorer execution of the plans on these surfaces.

Unlike in the past when the pitches would be made villains of the piece, Australians have been summarily criticised by their own countrymen for not being good enough to tackle the conditions. In the absence of Pat Cummins, who has flown back home to be with his seriously ill mother, Steve Smith will lead the embattled visitors who have had three gruelling net sessions in the run up to the match, beginning Wednesday.

During these intense practice stints, the tourists made a conscious effort to play spin on the front foot, stepping back only when the ball has been pitched short. The sweep shots, that spelt their doom in Delhi, were kept to the minimum. However, it's one thing to implement that in practice and quite another to replicate it against the likes of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel on a pitch which Smith thought is similar to the ones they encountered in Nagpur and Delhi.

A still-recovering Mitchell Starc will replace Cummins with all-rounder Cameron Green expected to form a two-pronged pace attack. Aussies are also grappling with the challenge of whether to three spinners, which bombed in Delhi, or play an extra batsman, which didn't work in Nagpur. The inclusion of Green may just help them strike the balance that has been missing.

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India, meanwhile, held an optional practice and most of the first-choice players preferred to stay in the comforts of their hotel rooms. That is perhaps the reflection of the mindsets of the two teams. While India are already thinking of preparing for the World Test Championship final, Australia would be looking at avoiding more embarrassment. That said, India aren't without their share of issues.

The predicament over retaining KL Rahul, removed as vice-captain, in the playing XI continues. While skipper Rohit Sharma didn't give away any clues in the pre-match presser, Shubman Gill took to the nets on the day with Rahul opting not to practice. If you think that's an indication of things to come then you are new to Indian cricket. Be prepared to be surprised.

Another concern is the lack of runs from their top-order batsmen with a potential to hurt them going forward. The likes of Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli haven't made any significant contribution so far and wicketkeeper KS Bharat can't be expected to have the same impact as that of the injured Rishabh Pant would have had. Though India are blessed to have three spinners at the same time in the XI with enviable batting skills, it's about time the specialists made meaningful contributions.