Australia v India 2014: Joe Burns shows he’s not out of his depth in Test debut on Boxing Day

WHEN Test debutant Joe Burns emerged at No. 6 after 61 overs, there was no conspicuous sign of sweaty palm syndrome, writes Robert Craddock.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 26: Debutant Joe Burns of Australia walks through the crowd to bat during day one of the Third Test match between Australia and India at Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

IT used to be said in Queensland that when Matthew Hayden batted early in his Test career, local fans went out and mowed the lawn.

They just could not watch because they knew how much was at stake and the consequences of every failure were so severe.

That’s the thing about new Test batsmen. Home state fans who previously held only a casual interest in their careers become their unofficial fathers, uncles or brothers. Everyone sweats it because a single error of judgment is all it takes for doom.

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Brisbane boy Joe Burns sent a few locals out to mow the lawn on Boxing Day on his way to making 13 in his first Test innings at the MCG.

In many ways the innings went the opposite way to which seasoned Burns-watchers had expected.

Joe Burns lives out the dream and runs onto the MCG on Boxing Day on debut.

Burns’ Queensland teammates wanted to see him bat at three not six so he did not stew in his own nervous juices in the dressingroom.

Yet when he did emerge at No. 6 after 61 overs, there was no conspicuous sign of sweaty palm syndrome.

He took his time taking guard, walked down the crease and patted it, wiped the top of his eyes and calmly bunted his first ball away on the off side.

It was also expected that it might test him coming to the wicket against spin but Ravi Ashwin’s probing tweakers did not bother him.

He neatly punched the fourth ball he faced through mid-wicket for three off Ashwin and later advanced and hoisted the same bowler through the same region for four.

Joe Burns hit his first Test boundary off Ravi Ashwin.

It is often said Test rookies should let their bats do the talking but their feet deliver the loudest messages about their state of mind.

Burns’ feet were starting to move well enough in his short stay to allow him to play back confidently to Ashwin, a braver move than it sounds because a single misjudgement can prove fatal.

Indian slow bowling great Bishen Bedi reckons the best way to play spin is to get right to the pitch of the ball or move as far as possible away from where it lands and Burns was roughly in synch with this theory.

Burns’ backfoot game against fast bowling is considered one of his strong points yet it also yielded his only two errors of judgment, including the ball that dismissed him.

He cursed himself for missing his pet cut shot off Ishant Sharma then edged a pivoting pull shot off Umesh Yadav behind to trigger the longest and loneliest walk in Australian cricket.

The positive aspect of Burns’ innings was that, as brief as it was, he did not look out of his depth.

The negative was that each Test innings is a truly precious opportunity and success or failure could see his career go forwards or backwards at brisk pace.

At 25 he is the same age as his captain Steve Smith who she shared his innings with and the very sight of Smith roaring towards another half century was a reminder to Burns that he is entering the prime years of his career.

Joe Burns was caught by MS Dhoni for 13. Picture: Colleen Petch

The pecking order of Australia’s fringe batsmen is harder to read than a Chinese crossword and as changeable as a tuck shop roster.

Burns had barely reached double figures when debate was raging among radio commentators as to who would go from the team if he made a century. Would Mitchell Marsh be recalled? Or Shaun Marsh sacked?

Then a swipe of the bat and a thin edge later and the debate was made redundant.

This is the highwire Burns is walking at the moment. An innings of substance and he could be off to England for the Ashes.

A failure or two and he could be back at the Gabba.

It’s a tough life, but better than mowing lawns.

Originally published as Australia v India 2014: Joe Burns shows he’s not out of his depth in Test debut on Boxing Day