“We didn't capitalise on our good start with the ball,” said the 22-year-old left-arm pacer, who finished the day with four for 108. “From here on, we have to play extremely well to win, it will be tough. Tomorrow will be decisive, it all depends on how well we bat.”

The Uttar Pradesh lad was thrust into the pace spearhead's role for the first time in his Test career after Zaheer Khan was ruled out with a recurring heel injury. “I was a bit disappointed when I came to know that Zaheer wasn't playing,” admitted Rudra Pratap. “I was also a bit nervous. I talked to the coaches, to our support staff and that calmed my nerves. Then I realised I had to shoulder the responsibility. I didn't do anything different today. I just focussed on swinging the ball, on hitting the right areas, on trying to keep the basics right.”

Having spent time at the Australian Cricket Academy in Brisbane in 2005, Rudra Pratap said that experience had come in handy. “Tim Nielsen (the current Australian coach) was the coach at the Academy then, and he taught me about using the conditions in Australia," he revealed. "I spent some 25 days there, and learnt a lot during that period.” Rudra Pratap said the track had changed character during the day. “After lunch, the pitch became very slow and the ball also got softer. In the morning, the ball was skidding through nicely but by the evening, nothing much was happening off the surface. I think it will be a good one to bat on tomorrow.”

His take on Andrew Symonds' hundred? “It was a very good innings, an attacking innings. He and Hogg played really well.”

Davidson’s praise
Former Australian left-arm pacer Alan Davidson was impressed with what he saw of Rudra Pratap Singh, a fellow left-armer who rocked Australia on day one.

“There is no point merely trying to bowl quick,” Davidson observed. “Pace without movement counts for nothing. I am very impressed with what I have seen of RP Singh. He has a nice action, and gets the ball to swing both ways. The best part about him is that he bowls within himself. One of the keys to being successful is to know your limitations and bowl within them.” Davidson, who said RP Singh's Australian counterpart Mitchell Johnson tried to bowl too fast, added that he expected the Indians to come into their own shortly. “It always takes a little time to adjust to conditions here, and I wasn't really surprised that they struggled in the first Test,” he remarked of India's 337-run loss in Melbourne. “But as they play more matches here, they will certainly get better.”