NEW DELHI, Jan 7, (AFP): Pressure mounted on India’s ageing cricket stars Saturday after their dismal batting performances on tour in Australia, with former players calling for an injection of youth to the side.
India suffered their sixth successive overseas Test defeat, including four in England last year, when they lost to Australia by an innings and 68 runs in Sydney on Friday to go 2-0 down in the four-match series.
Fragile batting has cost the tourists dearly in both Tests despite the presence of prolific run-getters including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Venkatsai Laxman and Virender Sehwag in the squad. The tourists managed 282, 169 and 191 in three of their four innings before making 400 on a Sydney featherbed on Friday. “India is paying for a short-sighted selection policy over the last few years,” former Australia captain Ian Chappell wrote in the Hindustan Times. “The batting line-up has been crying out for an injection of youth and perhaps six overseas losses in succession will convince the selectors of the error of their ways. “Part of the art of batting is to learn from mistakes and the Indian batsmen, Tendulkar included, are paying for repeatedly falling into the same trap,” he said. Dravid and Tendulkar, the world’s top two scorers in Test cricket, will soon be 39 while Laxman is 37. “The selectors are now faced with making changes when the team is down, never the ideal time for blooding young players,” Chappell wrote.

“Nevertheless, they have nothing to lose; the seniors are struggling to cope with a rampant Australian bowling attack and maybe a bit of youthful brashness will change India’s fortunes.”
Tendulkar, one ton away from an unprecedented 100th international century, has been India’s best batsman in the series with 226 runs in two Tests, including an 80 on Friday.
Former India captain Kapil Dev said no one should take their place in the team for granted.
“A line-up may look brilliant on paper, but whether it’s the best or not depends how it fares on the given day,” Dev told the Hindustan Times.
“Retirement is something a player should understand. But if you are not performing and the team isn’t winning, your past laurels shouldn’t help you retain a berth.” Another former captain, Dilip Vengsarkar, told the Times of India newspaper the “scary part” about Indian cricket was that “nobody knows how the turnaround will happen”.
“The bitter truth is that we don’t have new champion players who can take up the mantle,” he said. “We might have left the best behind. The big batting guns have long covered up other shortcomings but they are nearing the end.
“The increased dependence on Tendulkar after more than two decades is a sign of poverty.”
Meanwhile, former batting great Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at the players for skipping practice during the tour.

“Christmas is big in Australia and it’s understandable for Australian players taking off after the first Test,” he said on the NDTV news channel.
“But what were our players doing? Why were not they doing practice? Have they gone there for sightseeing or play cricket?”
The third Test starts in Perth on Friday.
Captain Michael Clarke was Saturday praised as the force behind Australia’s second Test victory over India, in which he scored a triple century and took the crucial wicket of Sachin Tendulkar.
Australia won the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground by an innings and 68 runs on Friday, helped by Clarke’s unbeaten first innings total of 329 runs, which allowed the skipper to declare at a massive 659.
Not content with his efforts with the bat, Clarke then gave himself the ball on Friday, claiming Tendulkar with one of his left-arm spin deliveries when the master batsman was on 80.
The ball, which enticed Tendulkar forward to get a thin edge and was caught by Mike Hussey at first slip, one again robbed the “Little Master” of claiming his 100th international century.
“Is there anything he can’t do?” read a headline in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph above a photograph of a jubilant Clarke celebrating Tendulkar’s dismissal.
“Few people have ever upstaged Sachin Tendulkar. No one is likely to do it more completely than Michael Clarke in this 100th SCG Test,” wrote Malcolm Conn in the tabloid.
“Is there nothing Clarke can’t do as captain? A triple century one day, the prized wicket of Tendulkar the next.”

The fall of Tendulkar’s wicket was an important turning point in the game, leaving the Indians at 4-271. The tourists managed to get to 400 but were all out with runs still to chase on Australia’s first innings total.
“He took only one wicket yesterday, but it may as well have been five, for when Sachin Tendulkar falls, a trapdoor opens beneath the innings,” wrote Peter Lalor in The Australian.
Other commentators continued to compare the Australian skipper to the late Don Bradman, with The Australian saying he “went one better than the Don” by leading from the front with the ball as well as the bat.
The fresh-faced, tattooed Clarke has won over new fans with his display of sharp captaincy and superb batting at his homeground of the SCG.
“Clarke can bat, can bowl, can captain,” read a headline in the Sydney Morning Herald above a story that continued that the skipper could do no wrong.
“Clarke led Australia in every way,” wrote Chloe Saltau. “The 30-year-old commandeered the Sydney Test with bat, ball and positive captaincy, his declaration halfway through day three enabling his team to crush India within four days for the second time in as many matches.”
Australia now go into the third Test in Perth 2-0 but the celebrations have been marred by news that rising star quick James Pattinson will be out for the rest of the series due to a foot injury.