If we're completely honest, the Test series against India was lost before the plane took off from Australia. The over-thinking, over-analysing and over-the-top paranoia about pitch conditions and the India bowling attack has led us to this point.

Talk about paralysis by analysis. Why did Ashton Agar go in the first place if he was so devoid of confidence and form following his ordinary outing in the Sydney Test?

FAMILY DRAMA: Pat Cummins flies home from India after second Test

UGLY TRUTH: Michael Vaughan highlights Australia's Steve Smith issue

Surely he would have been better off staying here and playing Shield cricket? Instead, he tried to put on a brave face as they flew a replacement left-arm spinner in Matt Kuhnemann over to do his job for him.

Can you imagine anything more demoralising and humiliating? Agar is now arguably finished as a Test player after patiently waiting five years for a recall. Done over by the selectors.

Matt Renshaw is another. He also waited five years for a Test return and probably now wishes it was longer.

The Queenslander should never have been picked ahead of Travis Head for the first Test and batted like he was carrying a carrot stick instead of a Gray-Nicolls when subbed into the second Test. His return has been a disaster – admittedly not all of his own doing – and another Test career could be over before it had a real chance to re-start.

Lance Morris has picked up a PHD in cordial mixing instead of clattering helmets in the Shield and getting overs under the belt before going on the Ashes tour, where he may be of great value to counter the pace of Jofra Archer. Can someone please explain why he's in India.

Australia in serious danger of humiliating 4-0 loss

Then there was this fixation with getting the batting order in synch – just the right mix of left-handers and a fair sprinkling of right-handers to negate Ravi Ashwin. In the end it doesn't matter which hand you pick a bat up in if you're going to swing like a No.11 from the local park team.

For every player in this Australian team there seems to be two support staff who presumably have plenty to say outside of playing hours but prefer watching replays on iPads during working hours. Where was a quiet word in the ear of an in-coming batsman, telling him to shelve the sweep shot and play a more conservative game until getting yourself in and assessing the conditions?

Or, as former Australia captain Michael Clarke put it, swim between the flags until you get to 30 and then get a little funky. Unless there is a dramatic change in mindset and approach, Australia is about to sink without trace and go down 4-0.

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.