MELBOURNE: As one walks around the massive Melbourne Cricket Ground, the question that one encounters from the waiting fans seems to be just one: when is the Indian team coming to the ground? If the accreditation hangs around one's neck, the question reaches a feverish pitch, almost like pleading. Indian fans have outnumbered Australians in practice and even during matches.
The whole setting seems more like a home game. No matter what the occasion, Indian fans never disappoint. They turn up in droves. They did when Cricket Australia opened up the Adelaide Oval for the fans to watch India cricketers from a touching distance.
They continued to flock even as they were instructed to keep quiet while watching from above at the MCG. As always, Virat Kohli gets the biggest cheer, but Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma have their share too.
Young fans yelling the famous “I only believe in Jassi bhai” phrase could be heard as Bumrah batted in the nets on a hot Tuesday afternoon. After a long batting stint — which drew a lot of attention because of the injury scare he had a couple of days ago — Sharma too was cheered on. “Mumbai ka Raja, Rohit Sharma” chants grew the moment they managed to grab his attention.
When it has been the case for training sessions, it should come as no surprise if the Indian fans dominate what is expected to be a sell out day one of the Boxing Day Test. It is going to be one hot Thursday with the temperature lurking in the higher 30s, but that is not alien to the Indian fans. December 26 at the MCG, series levelled at 1-1, the occasion couldn’t get any better. Perhaps for the first time since 2017 Ashes, the record for the Day One attendance might get breached. CA even released an additional thousand tickets (full and partial view) for Day One after the sell out. It could not get any better.
Which is why, looking at how the series started, India will not mind the 1-1 scoreline. Captain Rohit Sharma said as much on Tuesday. He said that it was due credit to Jasprit Bumrah and the bowlers to come back the way they did after getting all out for 150 on Day One of the series. Admittedly, pink ball was a challenge, but given where they were at the start of a series, 1-1 ahead of the Boxing Day Test is something Sharma would take with both hands.
It not just sets up the series nicely but also gives him a chance to ensure India retains the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Most of Sharma’s generation grew up watching Australia dominate India in those early morning starts back home. However, for the generation of Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill or Yashasvi Jaiswal, winning in Australia is the norm.
The loss in Adelaide or the struggle in Brisbane seems alien. And that is due credit to the exuberance and the dare-devilish attitude of the current generation of players. So one can understand why Sharma or the Indian team management do not want to complicate things for the youngsters who haven’t been consistent in this tour. “When you have a guy like (Jaiswal) in your squad, in your team, you don't want to tamper too much with his mindset," Sharma said in what was the pre-match presser on Christmas Eve.
"Let him be as free as possible and not overburdened with too many thoughts regarding his batting. He understands his batting more than any one of us, you know. Every venue here has different challenges. So, it's just about adapting to those challenges, playing on different pitches. The bowlers are the same. So, it's just about understanding what they usually do and what their plans are against certain batters when we come out to bat. And then just going out there and doing their thing,” he added.
Pant has not missed a training session and neither has Gill. They, along with Jaiswal, were among the first to hit the nets on Tuesday with the opener having multiple stints. He was the last to leave the fresh practice pitches they got to train on for the first time in Melbourne. While the pitch is expected to have some grass on it, the combination India would field would depend on how the pitch looks in the morning of the match.
For Sharma, meanwhile, it will be a litmus test. Not just as a batter but also as a captain. As someone who led India to the ODI World Cup final and the T20 World Cup title, his Test captaincy hasn’t lived up to the billing. It was under him, the transitioning team lost 0-3 to New Zealand — their first home series loss in 12 years — before coming to Australia.
He is yet to win a series overseas — the best result was the 1-1 draw in South Africa. Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have won one each one their last two trips to Australia.
Ideally, Sharma would want India to win the series. But the first step towards it would be making sure they don’t lose. And for that, they need a win in Melbourne. That India haven’t lost in the ground since 2011 helps, but conditions have changed drastically since. Irrespective of how it plays out, India will be desperate for a victory.