Humbled Australia need to defy history to win series
Australia's bid to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy could be over after just three days, with Pat Cummins' men needing to achieve a 27-year first to finally beat India in a Test series.
With two days left in Perth, 522 runs still required and three wickets down, Australia would need to pull off the greatest comeback in cricket history to avoid losing the first Test at Optus Stadium.
India have obliterated Australia since midway through day one, with the expected smashing set to be up there with the disastrous 2010-11 Ashes losses and a nightmare defeat to South Africa in 2016.
The three innings defeats to England 14 years ago, and the crushing by the Proteas resulted in significant change.
That is still unlikely to happen this time, but captain Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald are confronting a challenge unlike anything they have faced since becoming Australia's leaders.
Not since the 1997 Ashes in England has Australia lost the first Test and won the series.
Mark Taylor's team was belted by nine wickets in the Edgbaston opener, before retaining the Ashes 3-2 in a six-Test series.
Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who admitted Sunday's onslaught by Indian stars Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal was among the toughest days of his career, is already eyeing the second Test in Adelaide.
Australia will begin day four in utter disarray at 3-12, with debutant Nathan McSweeney and out-of-form Marnus Labuschagne already having lost their wicket.
"I'm probably looking mostly towards next Test and what plans we can do against these (Indian) batters," Hazlewood said on Sunday night.
"It's obviously a long series. It's a five-match series.
"If we can put some overs into their top quicks, I guess that's probably the couple of goals that we need to tick off (on Monday).
"If a couple of (our) guys find some form and score 80, 90, or even 100 that's probably the positives we can take out of it."
Australia last won a Border-Gavaskar series in 2014-15, with India holding the trophy since 2017, which has included winning on their past two tours to this country.
In their first innings in Perth, the Aussies made their lowest home total against India since 1981, replying to the tourists' 150 with 104.
Since India's first innings finished, the tourists have made Australia look second-rate and have been unstoppable with bat and ball.
Bold and confident young superstar Jaiswal, who sledged Mitchell Starc about the Aussie quick's pace during his 161, deftly handled a question about India landing a psychological blow on Australia.
"I was just trying to focus on me," Jaiswal said.
"I was just thinking how I can do good in this wicket, and how I can score, and how I can do well for my team, what I can do for my team.
"In my mind, it was the only thought that I need to just play each ball."
