India vs Australia: Paine-ful failure, 'Starc' fortunes of these stars who performed miserably in the series

In any bowling line-up, Mitchell Starc is an asset. His ability to bowl quickly and at pace is an asset for any side. However, apart from one over in Adelaide and his early strike in Melbourne, Mitchell Starc struggled for rhythm and control. This follows a worrying pattern where Mitchell Starc has conceded far too many runs in all formats. Mitchell Starc went at over five runs an over on the final day of the Brisbane Test and the assault by Shubman Gill saw him not regaining his touch. Australia missed the services of the third pacer in their bowling quartet, with only Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins showing brilliance. (Image credit: Twitter)

He had two five-day pitches to work on. Yet, he failed to produce his magic. India cricket team batting coach Vikram Rathour said that the team planned and played him better than on previous occasions. Nathan Lyon picked up only nine wickets in four Tests and he also fell short of the magical mark of 400 wickets. His average of 55 in the series was a damning indictment of how he underperformed against an Indian line-up determined to get the better of him. (Image credit: Twitter)

Cameron Green was picked as the all-rounder that Australia lacked in Tests. In domestic cricket, Cameron Green had shown his mettle with both bat and ball. After failing in the first two Tests, Cameron Green smashed fifties in Sydney and Brisbane as his batting average improved to 40. However, it was his performance with the ball which was woeful as he did not pick a single wicket. Although his young age and inexperience might shield him from criticism, Cameron Green flattered to deceive in the India vs Australia Test series. (Image credit: Twitter)

But perhaps, the biggest failure was Tim Paine, the Australian cricket team skipper. His three drops in Sydney on the final day in addition to the missed stumping. His woeful captaincy and his fatal sledge when he said to the Indians, "Can't wait to see you at the Gabba" were in poor taste. Tim Paine was solely responsible for the shattering of the 'nice-guy' image in Sydney and although he took it on the chin and accepted his mistake, Tim Paine could not escape the wrath of the Indian social media for his comments. In batting, Tim Paine scored a fifty in Adelaide which was match-defining and another one in Brisbane but he failed otherwise. Australia's main factor behind its failure was Tim Paine. (Image credit: Twitter)

The Indian cricket team performed as a collective unit and that is why failures are few and far in between. The number of injuries and loss of form was such that only Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara played all four Tests. Amongst all the players who performed poorly, perhaps Mayank Agarwal is the only Indian who failed to live up to expectations. Just 78 runs in six innings was a poor reflection of the rich form he was in prior to his arrival in Australia. His poor shot in the final innings of the Brisbane Test showed nerves and this might not put him in good stead for further Test match selection. (Image credit: Twitter)