The last time Australia looked so frazzled and out of ideas in a Test series at home was during the 2010-11 Ashes. The Andrew Strauss-led England had hammered them 3-1 on that tour.

But even in that series, Australia did manage to squeeze in a victory.

In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, after bowling India out for 150 on Day I of the opening Test in Perth, Australia couldn’t win one single session so far. Yes, this Test isn’t over yet as India still need seven more wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

But, after being set a mammoth target of 534, the Australians are already reeling at 12/3. Worse, they are once again looking completely out of sorts against India’s stand-in captain and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has already struck twice after his fifer in the first innings and looks set for a few more scalps.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the Australians, though they were beaten badly last year on rank turners in India, didn’t look as abysmal with the bat as they have been so far in this game.

Pacer Josh Hazlewood, the only Australian to bowl with some discipline with figures of 1/28 in 21 overs in the second innings in easier batting conditions, however, tried to look at the positives.

“I think that’s sort of the way the game flows sometimes. We’ve been on the other end of it as well a lot of times when we’re piling it on and in the next minute, we come out and take a few quick runs late in the afternoon. You see it both ways.

“They’re obviously well in front on this one and they’re doing the damage. That’s just sort of ebbs and flows of the game,” Hazlewood said.