The worst side since the Kerry Packer days of the late 1970s.
That’s the tag Australia’s cricket team will carry with them in their baggage back home from India after going down by six wickets in the fourth Test in Delhi on Sunday.
India reached 4-158 off 31.2 overs after tea on day three chasing 155 to win as MS Dhoni’s men swept the series four-nil.
It’s India’s best result ever in a home series.
The embarrassing series scoreline is also the first time since World Series Cricket ravaged Australia’s playing ranks in 1978/79 that Australia have lost four matches in a Test series and comes less than four months before the Ashes series starts at Trent Bridge on July 10.
Spinner Nathan Lyon took nine wickets for the match including 2-71 in India’s second innings.
Lyon dismissed Virat Kohli (41) and Sachin Tendulkar (one) in consecutive overs and fellow spinner Glenn Maxwell removed debutant Ajinkya Rahane (one) in the following over as India lost 3-5 to reach 4-128 with 27 runs still needed.
However Dhoni (12 not out) and Cheteshwar Pujara (82 not out) steered the home side safely to victory on a turning pitch.
Sixteen wickets fell on Sunday in less than a full day’s play.
The tourists had been skittled for 164 in 46.3 overs in their second innings.
Peter Siddle was last man out for 50 after scoring a career-best 51 in the first innings. It’s the first time a No.9 has made two half-centuries in a Test.
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja took 5-58 and the slow bowlers claimed nine of Australia’s 10 wickets.
Stand-in captain Shane Watson promoted second-gamer Maxwell to open with David Warner on Sunday.
Jadeja bowled Maxwell (eight) in the fifth over and Warner (eight) was lbw in Jadeja’s next over.
Watson played a shocking pull shot, dragging a low delivery onto his stumps for five as spinner Pragyan Ojha struck a key blow at 4-51.
The under-performing Watson averaged 16.50 for the series.
Lyon claimed a career-best 7-94 in India’s 272 after the home side had resumed on 8-266.
Australia skipper Michael Clarke returned to Sydney over the weekend for scans on his back injury.