India’s cricketers aren’t embarrassed – they’re just unlucky, offspinner Ravi Ashwin says.

The tourists copped another pounding from Australia on Tuesday’s opening day of the fourth Test in Adelaide, blowing out their odds of avoiding a 4-0 series whitewash.

But Ashwin says the continued underachievement on a grim Australian tour wasn’t leaving Indian cricketers red-faced.

“Two teams play, you have a loser, so it’s fine,” Ashwin said after unbeaten centuries from Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke underpinned Australia’s imposing 3-335 opening day score in Adelaide.

“Nobody is embarrassed in the dressing room.

“We are all quite happy to keep coming out and keep trying again and again.

“And it will turn around some time.

“But nobody is embarrassed, I’m very sure about that.”

Ashwin instead blamed bad luck for India’s woes.

“I have repeated this many number of times: the rub of the green hasn’t gone our way,” he said.

“And I really feel a little awkward saying that again and again.

“But you can’t really help not having the rub of the green, the nicks are not going to hand, we’re beating the bat so many times.

“It was that kind of day at the office.”

Ashwin, who claimed 2-81 from 26 overs, praised Ponting (137 not out) and Clarke (140 not out), who batted 74 overs from just before lunch to stumps in amassing an unbroken 251 run union.

“We gave quite a few easy runs to both of them and they just took off,” Ashwin said.

But the 25-year-old tweaker said India’s lost cause in the series could actually be a bonus.

“We have nothing to lose at this point of time,” he said.

“We are 3-0 down and it gives us a bit of a licence to be really very carefree about it and just go out and play our natural game, which can be a real blessing in disguise for us.”