IND vs AUS: Fired up Rishabh Pant and angry skipper Jasprit Bumrah lead India fight back

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The trappings of Test cricket were witnessed in full bloom at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. As the BGT Series climax has gone down to the wire, with the Aussies leading 2-1, they are in a better frame of mind.

Yet, if one watched Jasprit Bumrah return as skipper, a welcome sign, and Rishabh Pant show he can hang in and take blows on his body and then score 40 runs, it is a clear sign the fight is on.

To be sure, there was more grass on the pitch than expected. So, the contest between speed merchants and the batters was enchanting. For the cynics and social media trolls who curse India when the top order struggles, their lack of understanding of the nuances of Test cricket has to be ignored. One man stood there, ready to take blows, Rishabh Pant. Often accused of throwing his wicket, he batted bravely.

When he returned to the dressing room, there would have been patches on his upper arm and body. The blows he took may have left some blood clots, but that's nothing for a young man who walked out of a car which caught fire after a high-speed crash in Dehradun two years ago. How he recovered is Divine Intervention.

Yet, on his return to cricket, Pant has been sensational. The problem is that people expect too much from him. He has set the bar so high that they want him to be a match-winner every day. He has the heart of a soldier on the battlefront. On Friday, he showed poise like a neurosurgeon at work. No way could he be rash on this track. Stroke production was tough, which he mentioned later at the press conference.

Yet, if marks are to be given for intent, digging his heels in and taking the blows, he did it - Dil Se. This is not the Pant we see daily. There was patience, a new virtue, which is a sign he wants to contribute to the side. The 40 runs he scored off 98 balls was monumental, given the conditions. He showed character, if not, 185 runs would not have come on the board for India.

For those who may think a tongue-lashing from outgoing skipper Rohit Sharma and a sharp warning from coach Gautam Gambhir was what made Pant bat 'responsibly,' don't get it wrong. Pant is Pant, he is not a grafter. Nor is he a bloke who plays straight bat. Pant's creativity lies in tonking the ball, where he defies gravity at times and conjures up angles which a student of geometry can relate to. This is a clear sign, if India are looking for a deputy to assist Jasprit Bumrah, it can well be Pant, not Shubman Gill. Yet, Pant showed restraint today. It was much needed.

If Pant had done his bit, it was obvious the fight from the Indian camp had to be led by Boom. Back as a skipper, breathing fire and ready to attack, he was charged up. The intent from all the 11 players on the field was clear. Nobody looked sloppy and, as usual, cameras were panning on Virat Kohli.

He is being accused of being proactive, someone aspiring to beg for captaincy again. Please treat that as fiction, he knows how to take the lead, without being the leader. That's his DNA, get involved, fire up the bowlers. There may be a bit of 'MC' and 'BC' as well in Hindi. But then, he is that West Delhi boy-turned-man who cannot speak with a stiff upper lip just because he spends more time in London with his family.

Punjabi by nature and his eyes glaring, despite the contact lens inserted, Kohli was at it on Friday also in slips. Sam Konstas, the Aussie upstart was trying to rile the Indians. Stupid kid, he did not know that to fire up Bumrah would be a disaster. The last few minutes were gripping. Konstas trying to needle Bumrah. The 'Smiling Assasin' is well behaved, usually. But if he was going to be needled by a brat, it was a big mistake. Konstas threw his bat around.

But he also made the mistake of ensuring Bumrah would boil. Eyes glaring, once halted in his run-up. An exchange as well before umpires stepped in. Then came Bumrah, round the wicket. He let the cherry fly, it did all the tricks it had to, took Usman Khawaja's bat outer edge, and KL Rahul snapped it up in slips. The way the slip cordon and all 11 closed in to celebrate, this was team spirit. And Bumrah seemed to have glared. The skipper will come out more energised on Saturday.

He will be fresh and so will Prasidh Krishna and Mohammedd Siraj. This pitch is not going to be easy. If body language spoke today, India are not going to play defensive in this Test. There is massive pride at stake after the "Dresing Room Leaks" and Rohit Sharma sacking. Imagine, he is not even in the list of 16 today.