Australia are enduring a tough time in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home as they lost the first two Tests inside three days and conceded an unassailable 2-0 lead to India in the four-match series.

While the Aussies suffered an innings and 132-run thrashing in the opening Test in Nagpur, they succumbed to a six-wicket defeat in the second game in Delhi.

Disappointed by the result, Australian great Greg Chappell has said that the visitors “punched themselves in the mouth long before the first ball was even bowled” in the Test series.

“It was Mike Tyson who said in the lead-up to a fight with Evander Holyfield: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

“My concern after watching the first two Tests is that the Australian team punched themselves in the mouth long before the first ball was even bowled,” Chappell wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The 74-year-old also questioned Australia’s planning for the ongoing tour of the country.

“It is one thing to plan, but to base that plan on a flawed premise is an exercise in futility,” he added.

After a crushing defeat in Nagpur, Australia opted to go in with only one pacer in Delhi — skipper Pat Cummins. They left out Scott Boland and handed debut cap to left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann.

“Australia needed to play to their strengths to have a chance of winning this series. Spin bowling is not our strength. Picking spinners for the sake of it is not the way to success in India.

“We had to pick our best bowlers and trust them to do the job and back that with sensible batting, based on sound principles.”

He opined that leaving out Scott Boland for an extra spinner was a mistake.

“That Cummins under-bowled himself and failed to use the short ball on a wicket of variable bounce was another mistake. To complete the trifecta, it seems that no one saw fit to tell Cummins that he was under-bowling and that he should use the short ball.”

Chappell was also critical of the Australian batters’ overreliance on the sweep shots, which led to their downfall in the second innings of Delhi Test.

“Adding it to your repertoire in spinning conditions can be sensible, but not if it is the only option. There are other shots that are less risky and likely to be more profitable but, because the sweep for most batsmen has to be pre-meditated, the other options invariably fall by the wayside.

“One of the first things to learn about batting in Indian conditions is that you have more time than you realise. The main goal should be to survive the first couple of overs and rotate the strike. If you can survive that, then batting no longer seems as challenging as Fermat’s Last Theorem.”

In the Delhi Test, Australian batters committed harakiri in the second innings. At the close of play on Day 2, the Pat Cummins-led side was in the driver’s seat with a second-innings score of 61/1 and an overall lead of 62 runs. However, Ravindra Jadeja (7/42) spun a web around Australia with the ball in the first session on the third day, bundling out the visitors for a paltry 113.

India then chased down the 115-run target to retain the Border Gavaskar Trophy for fourth straight time.

“What can Australia do from here? Firstly, pick their best team and then play with the passion, tenacity and grit which is our hallmark. Australian fans know that it is tough in India.

“They can accept getting beaten by a better side, but they won’t cop seeing an Australian team playing recklessly and bowled out in a session or two and turning its toes up inside three days. There is red-hot anger, bewilderment and embarrassment in our fans,” Chappell said.

Indore and Ahmedabad are scheduled to host the third and fourth Tests from March 1 and March 9, respectively.