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Boxing Day is never going to be the day to examine the health of Test cricket.
If Melbourne’s weather helps out, a huge MCG crowd in seasonal cheer is always going to be proof the game has a long life ahead of it.
But, amid rumblings Australia’s dominance would kill the game off, India’s feisty cricketers ensured Test cricket received a healthy prognosis today.
They landed in Australia with aggressive intent after the teams’ combative one-day series in India earlier in the year and, after an indifferent start today, backed up their fighting words at the MCG to have Australia uncomfortable at 9-337 at stumps on the opening day of the first Test.
Before the series started, former captain Sourav Ganguly said they were the only team in the world who could take it up to Australia and batsman VVS Laxman said they would refuse to surrender to the world champions.
And, although the white flag could well have been flown with Australia 0-135 after lunch, they backed up both comments in a gutsy fightback led by skipper Anil Kumble who claimed his 35th five wicket haul in Test cricket.
Kumble could have well been blamed for the Indians’ shaky start as he went on the defensive early with some odd field placements in the first session, including one slip and a ring of fieldsmen outside the square.
The world’s No.4 ranked team had a few chances, a couple of lbw shouts, and Hayden sent a ball from RP Singh flying through the space where third slip had been standing only a few balls earlier.
Kumble wasn’t helped by some poor fielding and soft bowling by the only two pacemen in the team, Zaheer Khan and Singh.
But, after lunch, the 37-year-old veteran of 122 Tests and the third greatest wicket taker in history supplied the fight to go with the tough words.
He set much more astute fields and with two lovely wrong’uns claimed Phil Jaques and Mike Hussey, while Khan beat Ricky Ponting with a ball which straightened up.
Inside half an hour, Australia had gone from a familiar-looking 0-135 to 3-165 and the contest many expected, and all had hoped for, was on.
Kumble went on to claim the threatening Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist as well as Brett Lee to finish the day with 5-84 and a bag of 589 Test wickets to inspire his side, and the rest of the cricketing world, to believe this four match series will not go all Australia’s way.
Ganguly set the standard for standing up to the Australians in his side’s 2-1 series win at home over Steve Waugh’s team in 2001.
The standard continued with the enthralling 1-1 series draw in Australia in 2003-04 – in which India’s win in Adelaide was the last time the Australians have tasted Test defeat at home – and Australia’s 2-1 win away in 2004.
Kumble said he had never bowled better overseas than he did today.
And he could never have played a more crucial role in setting the tone for a competitive series.
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