BOXING DAY TEST: EYE ON REDEFINING MELBOURNE IDENTITY

Indian fans have outnumbered Australians in practice and even during matches.

- TNIE@ BORDER-GAVASKAR TROPHY GOMESH S MELBOURNE

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? If the accreditation hangs around one's neck, the question reaches a feverish pitch, almost like pleading.

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.