Australia went soft in the middle at Perth when the national team lost by 295 runs to India. The current tourists have won the last four series between the sides by the tightest of margins, but the manner in which Pat Cummins’ men were hammered at home in the opener raised some red flags if not the white one. The pink-ball Test at Adelaide is a chance to raise their game face and level the series.

Mitigating circumstances are always a ready-made excuse for every beaten opponent. Australia hadn’t played a Test match in almost eight months. In the 1997 Ashes opener, England crushed an Aussie team ravaged by poor form and injuries. “1997 should have been England’s summer. After losing four consecutive series against Australia, we made the perfect start,” remembered bowler Darren Gough. Ultimately, Mark Taylor’s side put a stop to that and won three of the next four to retain the urn.

English cricket had a psychological issue with the old enemy, a problem that festered until Michael Vaughan told them to stand their ground in 2005. Judging by the first Test, Australia have some issues to address against its current nemesis. Their body language was criticized by former Australian opener Greg Blewett during his commentary stint on the Seven Network.

Jurgen Klopp was unhappy with Liverpool’s first-half showing against Aston Villa in 2019 and let them know about it. “We were not like warriors, we were like players…. Body language is massively important,” boomed the German. Suffice it to say, Cummins and Co were not mentality monsters.

Australia have always been good at talking the talk and walking the walk, honing in on the weaknesses of the opposition and squeezing out mistakes. When Cummins took over the captaincy in 2021, he urged his side to rein in the ugly side that had made the Baggy Greens unpopular.

“From a couple of years ago it was obvious the world wanted all cricket teams, particularly the Aussie cricket team, to tone it down a little bit. I keep encouraging all of our players to be themselves. They do not have to try to impress anyone or sledge just because it might have been done like that in the past. Just be themselves,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

The results under the 31-year-old have been excellent since he took the captaincy. Australia are currently world champions in Test and ODI cricket although the fissures have been appearing in a variety of top-order collapses against weaker opposition. India, a team whose 12-year-old unbeaten home record has just been dismantled by New Zealand, taunted them with superior skills and in-your-face backchat.

Perth centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal had the temerity to tell Mitchell Starc he was bowling “too slow” which Starc laughed off. Mohammed Siraj sensed the chance to play on Marnus Labuschagne’s nerves when the latter shouted “No run.” The runs are not exactly flowing for Australia’s No. 3 in recent times. All of this after India were bowled out in under two sessions on the first day.

Australian cricket used to bully teams with a sharp word or ten and the laser-focused world-class talents who left the stage with Warne. The world is different now and the IPL, an international fraternizing franchise, has reduced the frostiness between national sides. Sandpapergate was a line in the sand for the bad boy streak that turned sinister.

Warne would not have approved of watering down fire and brimstone. Warner’s retirement was essentially the end of the old guard and has probably brought the angsty temperature down further. When the greatest leg-spinner Test cricket has ever seen was commentating on the 2013 Ashes, he was already thinking about the loss of personality in the game. Warner had taken a swing at Joe Root in a Birmingham bar to give the series a perfect boxing-style PR trailer.

“I’m not talking about punching someone in a bar at 2am, but they are afraid to express themselves now and all sports, not just cricket, have lost their characters. We want to see players that we love to hate. We have to be careful we don’t police the game too much or judge people too quickly,” said Warne who passed away in 2022 at the age of 52.

Australia need to rediscover their aura and physical presence on the pitch after treading water and through treacle. Rather than chuckling at the opposition’s jibes or moaning at the batters, the pacemen should absorb the spirit of Glenn McGrath. “I don’t want to see teams laughing and jumping around, you want to see a battle out in the middle,’ the legendary seamer mused in 2022. A bit of a snarl would be welcome.

Australian cricket tends to spark under the lights. They have won all seven pink-ball Tests played at Adelaide including the demolition of India in 2020 within three days. During that match, Mohammad Shami retired hurt after being struck on the arm by Cummins. Maybe it’s time for no more Mr Nice Guy.