It was a throwback to the nineties

If Santa Claus had told the Indian skipper on the eve of Boxing Day test, that India would bundle out the Aussie team for 350 runs in their first innings, Kumble would have been as happy as a child dreaming of sugarplums dancing in his head.

Sure enough, the jolly old elf kept his words.

Although Mathew Hayden's century on a Boxing Day is a customary thing by now, it is extremely rare for an Australian team to get (almost) bowled out the on the very first day at MCG.

Having feasted upon the unexpected gifts, one would have hoped that the Indian batsmen extended their festivities over to the next four days. Instead, the openers played as if they had been on a leather hunt for better part of two days, as if they were facing an imposing score of over 600 runs and as if the only saving grace was batting out a draw. They displayed same tentativeness, which, a rabbit caught in front of glaring headlights, would have been proud of.

The only saving grace and a reason for Indians to smile was the way Sachin Tendulkar played. His fans were so dearly longing for such an innings. Hopefully, it gets only better and bigger from here.

The Indian batting was, in more ways than one, a throw back to the sorry nineties. It was so similar then - the opening slot being treated like a game of musical chairs, Sachin Tendulkar being the lone becon of hope and the rest of them falling like ninepins after his departure. And I thought those dark days were well and truly behind us.

Contrast this with the Australian approach towards the end of day's play. Even in the final eight overs, when most teams would have played for the shutters, they maintained an impressive run rate of 4.0 per over.

Fear often clogs the mind and breeds tentativeness, so glaringly obvious in the Indian approach today. Kangaroos have taken the game by the scruff of its neck. Indians must play fearless cricket from hereon, only for the tougher battles ahead, if not for this test.