Former England captain Michael Vaughan has warned Australia to face a bleak reality once David Warner and Steve Smith finally retire.
Australia collapsed to a six-wicket defeat in Delhi on Sunday as India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-Test series to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth straight time.
He fought through an innings and 132 runs in Nagpur in the opening Test after losing 10 wickets in a single session in their second dig, Australia managed to lose nine at the Arun Jaitley Stadium before the lunch break.
The tourists resumed at 1-61 and looked set to set a commanding target on a fast-deteriorating pitch, only to be blown out for 113 in just over 90 minutes.
The manner of the defeat highlighted Australia’s fallibility against spin, but according to Vaughan it also highlighted the lack of options available when Warner and Smith are out of Test cricket.
Michael Vaughan has questioned whether Australia have enough depth to cope with the retirements of David Warner and Steve Smith
The former England captain warned Australia “had very little waiting in the wings” in terms of talented batsmen to replace the duo when they eventually retire
“Waking up to see a proper collapse from the Aussies,” he tweeted.
“A lot of teams have done the same in India.. it’s not easy.. but let’s be honest the Aussies once Warner & Smith retire they have very little waiting in the wings.”
Warner’s Test future is back in the spotlight after two forgettable performances in India, where his average has dropped to 21.78.
He was dismissed for 1 and 10 in the opening Test at Nagpur, the veteran opener making 15 in an extraordinary first innings in Delhi before being dismissed by Mohammad Shami.
Warner did not bat in the second innings as he was ruled out with concussion and a fractured elbow after two bad hits in his first dig and is not expected to be fit for the third Test, which starts in Indore on March 1.
Warner’s brilliant double ton against South Africa at the MCG in the Boxing Day Test was his only century in Test cricket since January 2019 and his future at the top of the order is increasingly under a cloud.
Former Australia captain Allan Border has suggested selectors drop Warner ahead of this winter’s Ashes, with the opener averaging 26.04 in 25 innings in England.
“You still have to produce, even though he has generated a lot of wickets,” he told Fox Cricket on Friday.
“All the talk would be about how he is doing against the spin bowlers in India. Everyone is vulnerable. You always have to keep producing.
“It just seems like he’s a yard behind the ball.
The future of Warner’s Test cricket is in doubt amid a dismal run of form and injuries, with Smith (right) admitting he did not know how long he would continue to play the format for
“If you get out in the second innings and lose the Test match, suddenly the selectors think, ‘We might have to start planning for the future a bit more.’
“And given that his last tour of England was a horror, they might be thinking, ‘This is the time.’
At 33, Smith is three years younger than Warner, but last month he admitted he did not know how long he could continue playing Test cricket.
“I’ll take it one tour at a time, just enjoy it, enjoy training and I’m trying to get better as well,” he said during the Sydney Test against South Africa.
“While I’m doing this, I’m happy to play, but I don’t know how long this will last.”
Warner was dismissed for 15 in his first innings in Delhi after taking scores of 1 and 10 as Australia were hammered in the opening Test in Nagpur.
Smith was out for a second-ball duck in the first innings before being bowled to a wicked shot with just nine runs to his name in the second dig on Sunday.
However, he then clarified that he wasn’t ready to hang up his gloves just yet.
“I’m not going anywhere, I’m comfortable with where everything is, we’ve got some good tours coming up, I’m excited and I’m still trying to get better,” he said.
“While I still have that hunger and willingness to try and improve, particularly to help some of the villains that come up […] while doing all the things I enjoy and have no plans for retirement.
The only player in the current team with a Test century in India, Smith looked all at sea in Delhi, departing for a second duck with the second ball in the first innings and making nine runs before reaching a miscued shot. in the second dig.