Burning questions following Australia’s brutal loss to India

What has Australia learned from the series defeat to India, and what direction do they take for the upcoming Tests against Sri Lanka? BURNING QUESTIONS

• AUSTRALIA RATINGS: Was he set up to fail?

• INDIA RATINGS: A new star is born

Australia has been humbled by India, but their Test summer is not yet over.

On Wednesday they’ll name a squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, with selectors also sure to have one eye on the Ashes later this year.

But in the fallout from Australia’s 2-1 series defeat to India, what have we learned about this side?

Mitchell Starc had a tough series. (AAP Image/Hamish Blair)

Is Mitchell Starc the man we think he is?

The debate surrounding Mitchell Starc’s qualities and performance in this series has almost certainly been over the top – we’re talking about a four-Test series in which he took 13 wickets 34.53.

They’re hardly the disastrous figures they’ve been made out to be, but such is the high regard in which Starc is held. Australia demands greatness from him.

He’s been pinned as the leader of this attack for several years but perhaps that is a title which should now be handed over to Josh Hazlewood, who has already been named the team’s vice-captain.

With a World Cup before the Ashes this year, Australia needs Starc to return to being the world’s best white-ball bowler – before they can worry about whether he can be their Ashes destroyer.

But they can’t abandon him now.

Virat Kohli describes Starc as “special” and says it’s important for Australia to give him enough space so that he can rediscover his spark. It’s sound advice.

Peter Siddle is a potential replacement should Starc be dumped. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

…And if Starc is dumped, who replaces him?

There’s no shortage of worthy challengers should Australia’s fast bowlers need a rest – or a refresh.

The fast bowling stocks in Australia are as deep as anywhere in the world.

The only reason there hasn’t been much debate about whether the frontline trio were under pressure for their spots was because up until this series Starc, Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were regarded as arguably the best pace attack on the planet.

But India has blown holes in that reputation in one destructive summer.

So who is next? Victorian pair Peter Siddle and Chris Tremain were both squad members throughout this summer and would appear to be the next cabs off the rank. Siddle is no stranger to the Test arena, with 214 scalps, while Tremain appears an even more worthy candidate.

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The 27-year-old has 204 first class wickets at 23.7 – notable given the bulk have come on the unforgiving MCG pitches which have been batter-friendly in recent years.

His ability to get wickets when the wicket is offering nothing is in stark contrast to the Australian trio, who were accused this summer of requiring pitches tailored to their needs to excel – as they did in Perth.

But others, like fit-again James Pattinson, South Australia’s Chadd Sayers and Daniel Worrall and Victoria’s Scott Boland could also come into calculations.

Shaun Marsh has an uncertain Test future. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Where does this series leave Shaun Marsh?

At 35, Shaun Marsh must realise that the next time he is axed from the Test team it will surely be the last time.

The stylish left-hander has been in and out of the national setup for much of his career, with selectors inclined to give him second and third chances owing to his tremendous natural gifts.

But his feast or famine scoring qualities – where more than 40 per cent of his innings result in single figure scores – is simply not compatible with a fragile batting lineup that needed its senior players to stand up to India’s impressive attack.

Marsh finished as Australia’s fourth-highest runscorer at the middling average of 26.14 and is firmly under pressure to retain his spot for the Sri Lanka series.

Should Steve Smith and David Warner come back into the side? Picture: Michael Klein

Do Steve Smith and David Warner come straight back in?

Now more than ever the answer is obvious: yes.

Australian captain Tim Paine has admitted that this team needs the star quality that Smith and Warner provide and that was on display as they failed to muster a single score of 350 or more all series.

Against England last summer, Australia had three scores of 400 or more – including two of more than 600.

Since then, not once have they passed 400.

While their suspensions have allowed the likes of Marcus Harris and Travis Head to get valuable Test experience, there’s absolutely no question that Warner and Smith will reclaim their spots at the first available opportunity.

Is the Sri Lanka series the right time to blood some new players?

Put simply, there’s no better time for youth to be given a chance. Sri Lanka are no easybeats, but they do present a far more palatable challenge than that of India for emerging players.

If Australia wants to inject some youth into its Test squad, and give an opportunity for some young batsmen to push their case for Ashes callups, then the Gabba and Manuka Oval could be the perfect environment for it.

That could mean Australia looks to refresh its bowling stocks, as discussed above, or opt for an influx of new talent in the batting ranks.

While coach Justin Langer has lamented the lack of state batsmen banging down the door – despite the impressive Shield records of Queensland’s Joe Burns, Tasmania’s Matthew Wade and the popular Glenn Maxwell – there is a new generation of bright talents threatening to burst through.

Victoria’s Will Pucovski went into selectors’ black books when he hit a stunning double century against Western Australia to start the Shield season, and has returned to state cricket after taking November off to deal with the mental side of the game.

Rising NSW star Jason Sangha is another who seems destined for higher honours, and has two first class tons from eight matches to date.

Matt Renshaw already has a Test century, but has been on the outer for more than 12 months and is another who could step in.

Travis Head and Marcus Harris showed promise in the series. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

How did the young batsmen acquit themselves?

Marcus Harris (258) and Travis Head (237) finished the series as Australia’s leading runscorers, in a rare bright spot in an otherwise dour summer for Australia’s batsmen.

That alone was enough to warm Tim Paine’s heart amid a gloomy end to the series.

Harris struggled with Jasprit Bumrah’s short-pitched barrage, but he wasn’t alone and showed enough promise to suggest he could form a combative opening partnership with the returning Warner.

Head, like fellow newcomer Marnus Labuschagne, showed flashes of class that suggest they have lots of Test cricket in their future.

“From a batting point of view, you look at what Marcus Harris and Travis Head have been able to do, they’re two examples of guys who might not have played any Test cricket at this stage,” Paine said.

“And they’ve got an opportunity through an unusual situation, and I think both of those guys acquitted themselves really well.”

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