BOXING DAY TEST: EYE ON REDEFINING MELBOURNE IDENTITY

S 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?

- TNIE@ BORDER-GAVASKAR TROPHY GOMESH S MELBOURNE

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.

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 high 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 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 Sharma said as much on Tuesday. He said that it was due credit to 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 the Boxing Day Test is something Sharma would take with both hands.