46 All Out: Indian batters lack 'staying' power, cause for concern in Border Gavaskar Trophy Down Under

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From 36 to 46! Looking at the way the Indian batting was ripped apart by the New Zealand pace, bounce and swing in Bengaluru on Day 2 of the first Test match, makes one feel that Rohit Sharma and his company can do well only on flat tracks.

Right from Rohit, Virat Kohli to KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja to Sarfaraz Khan were found wanting. Rishabh Pant was dropped when on 7 but his approach at the crease was refreshing. The time he has to get behind the ball and his aggressive intent, all put together he is surely the best we have. Also Read: India's lowest Test totals

On a pitch that had plenty of awkward bounce, Yashasvi Jaiswal turned out to be the second-best batter after Pant. Otherwise, the entire squad looked listless. The miscalculation with the toss and making an extra spinner in Kuldeep Yadav to play made life difficult for India.

So what if India were practising for the Australian tour? This New Zealand series is a precursor for the series Down Under. But India got this one wrong. The team can't make an Australia out of India - that too on home soil. But they did. The pitch at the Chinnaswamy stadium looked like Perth in Australia. With overcast conditions, it was a joyride for the fast bowlers. But the Indians went through hell. There is surely some missing link in this team.

Even against Bangladesh, the Indian top order wasn't exactly in top form. It was R Ashwin and Jadeja who repaired the innings. The temperament of the India batters are so T20-driven that they only love to play their shorts. Look at the way, India played against Bangladesh in Kanpur, finishing the opposition with a bang-bang approach.

However, when the conditions are challenging, the best way forward is to stay at the crease. None of the Indian batters have that in them. They know how to play their shots but they don't know how to defend. Thanks to our T20 generation even our Test team is made out of T20 success.

The days of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are gone. They don't entertain strokeless wonders at all. They prefer batters who can strike the ball. But to strike the ball well, the batters need to stay at the crease at least. But they can't. They don't want to because they know how to come back through counter-attacks. Let's see how India do it this time!