Shane Warne column: Why Boxing Day Test holds a special place

Cummins v McGrath. Hazlewood v Gillespie. Starc v Lee. Lyon v Warne. Is it time to pump the breaks on anointing today’s attack as Australia’s best ever?

Are the likes of Starc and Cummins in the same class as Gillespie and McGrath?

Ask any cricketer around the world which two Test matches they want to play in and experience. The answer will be Lord’s and Boxing Day at the MCG.

This is one of the biggest sporting events on the Australian calendar, and because cricket is a global game it’s also one of the biggest global events for TV.

Watch Australia v India Test Series Live & Ad-Break Free During Play with the Fox Cricket commentary team. New to Kayo? Get your free trial now & start streaming instantly >

To experience Boxing Day as an Australian or international cricketer is unbelievable — but I can’t describe what it’s like being a Victorian and having all that support.

I was lucky enough to play in 11 of them, and a lot of my favourite moments as a cricketer were at the MCG.

Shane Warne salutes the MCG crowd on Boxing Day in 2006 after taking five wickets.

We won so many games at the ‘G, and many great memories were in the dressing room with my teammates. My two personal favourite moments were my hat-trick and my 700th Test wicket, which is still the loudest roar I’ve ever heard at a sporting ground — thank you to every one of you who were there that day.

Even though only 30,000 people are allowed in this year it will still be a really good atmosphere.

It’s been 293 days since fans last visited the MCG for the women’s T20 World Cup final, when the girls were dancing on stage with Katy Perry.

That’s a long wait for one of the world’s best venues.

The MCG staff will be in a mad panic to try and get everything ready.

There’s just been birds, pigeons and all sorts of things that have been living there since March.

There’s been no one allowed to work there for the best part of eight months, so I’m very interested to see what the drop-in pitch and the outfield will be like.

Are the likes of Starc and Cummins in the same class as Gillespie and McGrath?

I would be very surprised if there’s any real pace in it. It’ll be pretty slow and hard to drive, and then it’ll get a bit quicker and good to bat on, and then spin a bit at the end.

But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the strip will do a bit off the seam and zip through.

That’s certainly what Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood would want for Christmas on Boxing Day after their rampage in Adelaide.

People are trying to work out where this current group of four bowlers stands in Australian history.

When you measure them up they haven’t quite played enough cricket together to be among the very best … yet.

They’ve only played 30-60 Tests each, except for Lyon who has played 97.

If you put Cummins and Glenn McGrath next to each other, ‘Pigeon’s’ got him by 413 wickets and 97 Tests.

Glenn McGrath is one of Australia’s greatest every bowlers. Picture: David Kapernick

Pat Cummins celebrates taking a wicket during the first Test against India. Picture: Getty Images

If you put Jason Gillespie (71 Tests, 259 wickets) next to Hazlewood (52 Tests, 201 wickets), that’s getting pretty close.

Brett Lee (76 Tests, 310 wickets) and Mitchell Starc (58 Tests, 248 wickets) is a good conversation to have as well.

And then you have me and Nathan Lyon.

But if these guys continue in their current vein for the next five or six years they’re going to be in the conversation for the best bowling attacks Australia has ever produced.

Then you’ve got Dennis Lillee and Jeff “Thommo” Thompson.

Christ, we’re very lucky in Australia — we’ve always had good bowling attacks.

For India it’s going to be very, very hard to bounce back from the first Test.

When they dropped Tim Paine on 20 their lead was 123.

They dropped six catches in the field and I said in my last column how important fielding was going to be.

India were ahead for a lot of that game.

If they held their catches, who knows? India could be coming to the MCG 1-0 up.

But they didn’t. They know they dropped those catches, and they know they got bowled out for 36.

Shane Warnes believes Hardik Pandya would make a big difference to the India team. Picture: Getty

If only they had Hardik Pandya in their squad as their third seamer who could bowl a bit.

He would make such a difference to their side.

If he was their third seamer they could play Kuldeep Yadav easily, but two quicks and two spinners is a big risk if they lose the toss.

Mohammed Shami is out with a broken arm and that is a huge loss, because he would’ve bowled beautifully in Melbourne where you have to bowl straight on a good length and nip the ball.

He would’ve been the perfect bowler for these conditions.

I think KL Rahul has to come in for Prithvi Shaw to open the batting because Shaw looked out of his depth and needs to sort his technique out against this attack.

Shubman Gill should replace Kohli at No.4 and Rishabh Pant has to come in as that X-factor wicketkeeper at No.7.

But I’m expecting Australia to flex their muscles on the MCG and really dominate an India team that‘s missing not only Virat Kohli the captain, but Kohli the batsman as well.