Boxing day happened and the visitors boxed unexpectedly, only to realize the very next day what they were doing. It was never too late though and India got back to their game plan - buckling under pressure, even if there is none.
Kumble was very excited being a test captain down under as now his place in the side is always guaranteed being picked ahead of Harbhajan Singh. "We need to win handsomely here. I think 5-0 will do it for us." This was what Anil Kumble had said ahead of the first test match against Australia. Ricky Ponting had to run to get a confirmation that it was a four match series.
The first test is over with exactly one day to spare. This extra time will allow the Indians to prepare for the next game. While Australians will be busy with Christmas-New Year celebrations, Indians will grab the opportunity to prepare their bowlers for batting as well as scoring runs. The batsmen have been given clear instructions not to score and to compulsorily face 50 deliveries before returning to the pavilion. While Rahul Dravid is Googling for his lost form, Jafar also is not be left far behind.
"We can still win it 3-1" was what the jubilant Ganguly had to say. Playing his 100th test match on a boxing day, Ganguly or dada as what he is more commonly known said that if India had batted on the first day, he would have played well (out of excitement). While Sachin was the lone scorer for the team, he called his dis(mal)missal as the turning point of a match that ended before it could start.
Hopefully Indians will continue playing up to the expectations of the 1 billion population and not loose at least one of the remaining matches.
