The solution: Cloning in-form Test captain Michael Clarke may be Australia's best chance of success in the remaining Tests in India. Credit:Illustration: Michael Mucci D'Costa said he had requested a four-day personal crash course with Hughes, who he steered back to the top of the domestic batting charts after his Test dumping in 2011. ''I said 'before he goes to India I need him for four days' to show him the technical program and the mental program for playing there,'' he said. ''I emailed them and they said it's got to be done in the team environment and there is basically no time. I was like, 'Well, make the time.' The next thing you know he's jumping on a plane to India.'' Hughes has been the most prolific scorer of runs in Australia this season. His 1651 runs for state and country, at first-class and one-day level, includes five centuries and surpasses even Michael Clarke, another former D'Costa pupil. However, he has been brought to his knees in foreign conditions by the spin of India's chief destroyer Ravi Ashwin, who has dismissed him cheaply three times, and Ravindra Jadeja. Even in a warm-up match in Chennai he managed only 19 and 1.

Hughes has not been alone in looking clueless against spin on wickets carefully designed for their downfall. But Sydney-based D'Costa, who until 2011 was head coach of the Vidarbha Cricket Association academy in Nagpur, believes he could have helped his long-time charge maintain his form from the summer. ''There are tricks to preparing for different venues that you can use,'' he said. ''My facility here I can set the turf up the way I want it. ''Obviously it's not India but we can replicate conditions to try and prepare him to go away. He's never played there at that level. It was fait accompli [India] were going to set it for spinners. ''Why would you not send the guy to his coach who has helped him get where he is? Even if he picks up nothing, he feels better about his game when he gets on that plane. ''He walks out there, the pressure is on, it's spinning. It's like being sent to the wolves without a gun. They prepared him to fail.''

Coach Arthur said on Saturday selectors had considered leaving Hughes out of some of the one-day matches against Sri Lanka and West Indies to prepare for India but stuck with him for all 10 because he was in such good form. Australia were criticised early in the ODI series for resting key players David Warner and Matthew Wade. ''We did receive an email from Neil but unfortunately this opportunity wasn't able to eventuate given Phillip's good form and development in our ODI set-up, along with the congested schedule, which saw us finish the home summer and head immediately to India,'' Arthur said. ''Phillip showed that he has some great potential as a limited-overs player and we saw this as a great opportunity for him to develop and gain experience in this form of the game. We did consider the possibility of Phillip not playing in some of the Commonwealth Bank Series matches but we had a couple of injuries, such as with David Warner, and Phillip was in some good form so remained with the squad.'' Arthur defended Australia and Hughes' preparation for India. ''He played a three-day practice match and had eight net sessions after arriving in India and worked tirelessly with our staff ahead of this Test series getting under way,'' he said. D'Costa said he would have settled for one day educating Hughes on India. "He's failed and now they want to use him as a scapegoat," he said.