On what was effectively day one of the Test, after just 13.2 overs of play were possible yesterday due to rain, India began brightly as Jasprit Bumrah struck twice in the first six overs to leave things looking quite rosy with Australia 38-2, and the relatively on-shaky-ground pair of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne at the crease.

Bumrah's support cast of Mohammed Siraj and in particular, Akash Deep, impressed early on in the day with a couple of near misses – going past the edge on multiple occasions and rapping Smith on the pads only for the batter to be saved upon review by the umpire's call.

Nitish Kumar Reddy cast the bait for Labuschagne with a full, wide delivery, which the batter took – only to nick to the slip cordon. By then, Australia had somewhat stabilised to 75-3, scoring at a shade over two an over.

Also read: 'Unbelievable' and 'dumb' cricket – former Australia opener in scathing criticism of Siraj short ball ploy

Smith and Travis Head flipped the equation completely in the second session, scoring 130 without loss, before stepping up one more gear after tea. India were on the end of a shellacking; there is no other way to put it.

Much will be made of Rohit Sharma's decision to bowl first, and India's on-field tactics (why can't they ever get Travis Head out?). The wicket also eased up in the second and third sessions. But they do have a more fundamental issue.

If blood was in the water in the first session on day two, India were a shark without its front row of teeth – thanks to a hamstringing of their own making.

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At its most basic, Test cricket is a simple game. In order to win, a team needs to take 20 wickets more cheaply than the opposition does. Anything other tactic is a mere detail along the way; it exists in service of this goal.

In home conditions, the Indian team over the last decade or so has been exceptionally fit-for-purpose, with two spinners in Ashwin and Jadeja who bat to a decent level, as well as seam bowlers who thrive in those conditions, allowing them to play upto five specialist bowlers (at times, four is enough thanks to the quality of the attack).

But on their travels, playing two spinners is generally not a viable option. India then are down to either three seamers and one spinner (playing an extra batter), or replacing the second spinner with a seamer. The best of both worlds is a genuine seam-bowling all-rounder.

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On the current Australian tour, India's attack has been three quicks, one spinner and one pace all-rounder in Nitish Kumar Reddy. Crucially, the strength of the three quicks is diluted by the absence of Mohammed Shami. They have one world-class one in Jasprit Bumrah, a solid-if-inconsistent Mohammed Siraj and an inexperienced Akash Deep/Harshit Rana/Prasidh Krishna.

The formula of three quicks + one spinner is what Australia use. But the quality of that attack, with those players having honed their skills on Australian decks, makes this a viable option for them to take 20 wickets.

It is not the case for this Indian team, which is undercooked in terms of experience, and has not grown up in these conditions.

Nitish Kumar Reddy is playing the role of the fifth bowler at the moment, but he has bowled just about seven percent of India's overs across the first two Tests (the average fifth bowler bowls almost twice as much). This, along with his stellar batting exploits, suggests India see him more as a batter who can bowl.

Between Reddy as a reluctant fifth option, India's lone spinner and the diluted strength of their three seamers, they have very little going for them in the first innings in Australia. This was papered over in Perth by Bumrah's stupendous opening spells in both innings – out of the ordinary, even for him, which made it easier for the rest of the attack to burst through the hole he punched.

The shortcomings of the attack were shown up in Adelaide – Siraj took four wickets but was expensive, and Harshit Rana received severe punishment after lacking control.

It has been the same story in Brisbane so far, with Siraj and Jadeja not looking threatening enough, even if Akash Deep did to an extent. This allowed Smith and Head to simply survive against Bumrah, and essentially cash in on their pick of bowler to keep the scoreboard ticking. It wasn't until he returned with the second new ball that India were able to make any inroads.

Read more: Marnus Labuschagne falls six balls after double bail change

There's no guarantee India will win one, or two, or three Tests if they fit a fifth bowler into the side. But it gives them options, a potential avenue to 20 wickets, in the absence of the same quality as their opposition.

Contrast Reddy with India's previous preferred option in the seam all-rounder's role, Shardul Thakur – more a bowler who could bat, giving them a proven fifth option even if that came at the cost of their batting depth. Reddy may well end up being a better bowler, but India's reluctance to try him out, combined with his returns mean he is still effectively a batter who bowls a bit.

Players like Thakur were picked so India could gamble to win overseas when the rest of their attack may not have matched up – a form of aggression less visible than the roaring, raucous machismo of Virat Kohli and the booming presence of Ravi Shastri.

But here, they have opted to increase their batting depth, at the cost of bowling. In Test cricket, this philosophy represents a form of subservience to their fate – less visible than droopy shoulders, furrowed brows and seemingly casual press conference statements the cricket follower loves to pick up on.

In October, new Indian coach Gautam Gambhir seemed to have grasped this fundamental truth of winning Test matches when he said, "Batters only set up matches. This batsman-obsessed attitude of ours needs to end. If a batter even scores 1,000 runs, it doesn't guarantee victory. But if a bowler takes 20 wickets, then there is a 99 per cent guarantee that we will win the Test match."

The team selections in Australia reflect one of two things – this truth is missing in practice, or India have severely, almost fatally, overestimated their personnel for three Tests in a row now. Either one is not a good look.

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