Boxing Day Test: Full house at MCG awaits a high noon for five-day game

A sellout crowd of 90,000 for the first day of the Boxing Day Test match. The fourth of a full five-Test series after a while being poised on knives’ edge at 1-1. It doesn’t get bigger than this as all the talk of the longer format of the game being on a terminal decline can stay on the backburner for now.

 It may be only a week that the third Test had ended in a draw at The Gabba, but the one starting at the cavernous Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday seems like ushering in a new series altogether in terms of hype and intensity. Speaking to the media on the Christmas eve, MCG CEO Stuart Fox predicted the turnstiles at the venue may see over 250,000 fans – and one seriously hopes that the contest will be suitably riveting.

 Several intriguing factors are set to spice up the remainder of a Test series billed as arguably the biggest contest in the sport now. Sitting in second and third positions of the World Test Championship (WTC) table, respectively, Australia and India will want to put their best foot forward to be in with a chance to qualify for the finals next June. The argument of the hobnobbing at the IPL dressing rooms making the Aussies ‘soft’ was also turned on its head in the last two Tests, and it’s all down to the home stretch now.

A closer look, however, reveals that Gautam Gambhir & Co have a lot on their plate than what the at-par scoreline suggests. They are suddenly left looking at a life without Ravi Ashwin, with the retirement of the senior pro robbing them not only of their best spinner but one of the most thinking brains in the dressing room after nearly 13 years. There are enough chances that the visitors will look at two spinners in at least one or both of the remaining Tests, and Washington Sundar may certainly find the comparison business weighing too heavily on his shoulders.

 Not wanting to take a chance, the tour management had sent a SoS for Tanush Kotian, the young off-spinner allrounder from Mumbai – despite him having little chance of a look-in. Rohit Sharma explained his selection: “Tanush was here a month back and Kuldeep (Yadav) I don’t think has a visa. Jokes apart, we wanted somebody here quickly. Tanush has done well in the last two years and we wanted a back-up in case we need two spinners here or in Sydney.”

 The question marks over the form of the Indian batters continue to linger – and the problem is not restricted to the Big Two. The only batter in the top five who has shown the application and technique consistently has been K.L. Rahul, and for most, it’s time to make amends as rains will not come to the rescue every time. It’s high time that someone like Dhruv Jurel got a break for the solidity he showed in the A team’s game more than a month back, but that’s unlikely to happen unless India sacrifices the extra bowling option in Nitish Reddy.

The Aussies, meanwhile, confirmed that they would be gambling with the 19-year-old Sam Konstas as the opening partner of Usman Khawaja. ‘’He’ll play Boxing Day,’’ Australian coach Andrew McDonald told reporters, referring to the teenager as ‘’composed, relaxed.’’

Konstas will become Australia’'s youngest Test debutant since current skipper Pat Cummins took the field against South Africa at Johannesburg in 2011. ‘’What he’s shown is an array of shots and an ability to put pressure back on his opponents and he gets his opportunity. Really excited for him - Boxing Day, the biggest stage,’’ said the coach.

Talk about throwing someone at the deep end of the pool…