Hayden, Lee drop below average

Matthew Hayden and Brett Lee, Australia's batting and bowling pivots in a relatively inexperienced team, have had dreadful tours.

Hayden, the Queensland colossus who scored three hundreds in the three Tests he played against India last summer, has made two ducks and is averaging 4.33.

Lee has managed just one wicket in each of the three innings he has bowled going into the third day of the second Test in Mohali on Sunday, at an average of 58.67. He failed to add to his tally, having 0-22 at stumps. Their struggles have been compounded by Michael Clarke's failure to perform the feats of four years ago on his debut tour.

When he was adjudged leg before to the last ball of Saturday's play for 23 to a beautifully pitched wrong'un from debutant leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who also bowled Simon Katich for 33, Clarke's series figures read 40 runs at 13.33.

Hayden and Lee had limited preparations for the tour and it appears to be showing. Hayden missed months of cricket with an Achilles tendon strain, while Lee's training schedule was interrupted after the break-up of his marriage.

While Hayden may have been unlucky with both dismissals in the first Test at Bangalore, courtesy of the umpires, there was no doubt on Saturday as the ball swung into the left-hander, hitting his pad and bat before cannoning into the stumps.

Hayden, who turns 37 next week, has failed to pass 20 in six innings on tour since the squad left Australia a month ago. He has such an imposing record and is such a vital part of the side that he is under no immediate danger of losing his spot.

Likewise Lee is the fourth-most successful bowler in Australia cricket with 292 Test wickets, yet he was comprehensively out-bowled by Victorian debutant Peter Siddle, 23, who finished with 3-114 from 28 overs in hot and difficult conditions. He has taken 0-30 in India's second innings.

Cameron White and Siddle, who would have been at laughing odds to play for Australia in this series not that long ago, both had as many wickets as Lee after India's first innings, and White has more runs than Hayden.

White sympathised with Lee.

"The wickets are pretty flat," White said.

"Brett hasn't played much cricket over the last little while, so I'm sure with bowling he'll definitely improve."

Century-maker Sourav Ganguly did not seem surprised by Lee's struggles.

"He's bowling quick. Obviously he's not getting much help from the pitches compared to what he would get in Australia," the former India captain said.

"You would expect that when you come to India but he's still a quality bowler."

Australia's bowlers have lacked the ability of their India counterparts to make the ball reverse swing, particularly from an early stage in the innings.

Like England in 2005, it puts Australia at a disadvantage.

"Zaheer (Khan) and Ishant (Sharma) are very good exponents of reverse swing and are able to get it going a lot quicker than we do," White said. "It's something we've got to learn a bit from and try to get it going quicker when we're bowling.

"In terms of batting, when it's swinging both ways, especially from a left-arm bowler (Zaheer), which is a little bit more unique, it's quite difficult, but something we have to deal with.

"We've obviously talked about it and we've watched closely what the Indians have done in this innings.

"It's something we've really got to work at and find our best method to move, whether it's conventional or reverse swing.

"When the wickets are so flat, like they are, you've got to get the ball moving in the air."

Ganguly was impressed with the enterprise of Siddle, a rangy young man with a strong, high action who hits the pitch hard.

"Siddle is sharp," Ganguly said. "I played (against) him in a tour game in Melbourne last season when we were in Australia.

"He bowled quick in that game as well, and I thought he hit the bat well in this Test.

"I'm sure he's going to play for Australia for some time."

White, Siddle's captain at Victoria, believes his paceman has much to offer.

"He had quite a good first innings but you haven't seen the best of Pete Siddle yet," he said.

"He'll definitely improve with bowling and Test experience.

"I've had the pleasure of watching him mature and grow up as a bowler over the past couple of years for Victoria.

"He's a fine bowler. I hope we get to see the best of him in this series and in the years to come for Australia."