KEY POINTS:
In the wake of Australia's 2-0 beating in India, there has been loose talk that somehow this translates into New Zealand facing an Australian team in decline and ripe for the taking.
This is baffling, not the least because right now New Zealand are not as robustly combative
and skilled as the Indians.
When Australia arrived in India, there was always a chance they'd lose the series.
India are no pickles, especially on their own turf, and they were always going to play with a fierce resolve to avenge what they believed were the wrongs foisted on them during their visit to Australia last summer.
But this does not translate into the Australians having turned into a mediocre outfit.
Certainly, Australia are still coming to terms with losing three alltime greats within a year.
Their main wicket takers for over 10 years, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, have gone, plus the man who redefined the wicketkeeper-batsman role, Adam Gilchrist. No player is irreplaceable, but some are harder to compensate for than others. Like that trio.
And when India eyeballed them, too often the Australians blinked first. For so long, Australia have had the run of the park. Now they met an opponent not only willing to stand firm, but armed with the ability to make a decent fist of it.
In the past 20 years, excluding one-off tests, Australia have failed to win a single test in a series only four times - in Pakistan in 1988 and 1994, in Sri Lanka in 1999 and against New Zealand in 2001-02.
Here's a theory doing the rounds: Australia, beaten and bedraggled, will arrive in Brisbane next week with another test series the last thing on their wishlist.
They'll still be smarting from defeat at Nagpur, the loss of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and with a captain under serious fire from home over his handling of on-field events in India. Their fast bowling was often ineffective and the batting ordinary.
Ergo, New Zealand should fancy themselves to at least compete on far more even terms than they might have done.
If Australia had arrived home cock-a-hoop, with trophy in tow ready to flog their neighbours as a preamble to hosting the more formidable South Africans, who arrive there round Christmas, things would be different.
Under that premise, New Zealand were to be the palate-freshening sorbet served at the finer establishments between the starter and main.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has read the situation perfectly.
"The Australian team's performances in their own country in the last few years have been almost impeccable," Vettori said. "I'm sure they'll be hurting as a side after losing the test series. They'll come back pretty strong so it's almost a worse position [for New Zealand] to be in than if they'd won the series."
New Zealand's arrival might just be a case of bad timing. Australia, and Ricky Ponting in particular, will see them as the ideal opponents to reassert themselves and smear Vettori's men across the Gabba.
The fast bowlers, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and co, will take a look at the pitch in Brisbane and rediscover a spring in their step. The batsmen will relish the ball coming onto the bat more comfortably than Mohali and New Delhi.
The New Zealanders might also find they are the welcoming committee for the return to international cricket of allrounder Andrew Symonds.
Banished from the team for preferring fishing to turning up to a team meeting in Darwin last summer, his form for Queensland this season has been ordinary.
But he might be the talisman, unscarred by India, to give the Australians a boost.
So, no, forget the mumblings about Australia being in the throes of despair. They're still strong, their resolve will be steely.
But New Zealand should feel emboldened. Australia will not turn up in Brisbane with that familiar, formidable mien. India saw to that. Now it's New Zealand's chance to try to capitalise on that.
