The move to suspend Shane Watson, the vice-captain, James Pattinson, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Johnson has polarised opinion in Australia, with commentators calling it one of the most sensational decisions in decades.Mickey Arthur, the Australia coach, said on Wednesday (March 13) that a team culture including unacceptable ‘back-chat’ and ‘attitude’ forced him to controversially axe four players for the third Test against India beginning in Mohali on Thursday.Arthur said it was the culmination of ‘lots of small minor indiscretions that have built up to now’ and would be looked back on in years to come as a ‘defining moment’ for Australian cricket.When we sat down as a leadership group and made these tough decisions, I knew it would polarise public opinion, but internally, I certainly know we’ve made the absolute right decision,” he said on the Cricket Australia website. “This is a line in the sand moment — a point we’ll look back on in a couple of years’ time when we’re back to number one in the world and say was a defining moment.In justifying the shock axings, Michael Clarke, the skipper, said on Tuesday that the players had shown a lack of respect for Arthur, with a general slide in attitudes on the Indian tour.But with Australia due to play two Ashes series against England this year, starting in July, Arthur said the attitude issues had to be nipped in the bud.With the retirements of Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey, Australia took a relatively young and inexperienced team to India. The South African coach said the management had provided ‘lots of latitude and flexibility.

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