A special day, says Kumble

It8217;s on top of everything. It was Boxing Day, at the MCG, in front of a big crowd, against Australia and on the opening day of the series. It is very special.

On team India8217;s fightback after lunch:

It was important to come back well. I knew it was a case of one wicket, and after the first wicket fell, Zak Zaheer bowled a beauty to dismiss Ponting. Then things started happening. I thought both Zaheer and RP Singh were very unlucky early on. But at the end of it, it was a good day for us.

Everyone in the team understands Test cricket. They know that from 130 for no loss, you could quickly lose wickets, or that from 120 for five, you can still reach 400. The intensity was good throughout, we kept coming hard at the Australians. I am happy with the way we bowled. I have always believed that the first Test of a series is very important, we have done exceptionally well after being on the back foot at lunch on day one.

On the pitch being tricky:

It is definitely on the slower side, but if you apply yourself, there are runs to be scored. Hayden showed how to do it during his century. I am sure our boys will apply themselves and come up with the goods.

8226; His team may have lost nine wickets on Day 1, but Matthew Hayden, who defied the Indians with a magnificent hundred today for his sixth Boxing Day ton in seven matches isn8217;t ready to believe that the initiative has slipped away from his side. He believes that Australia stand at par with India after the first day8217;s play at the MCG. Excerpts:

On the pitch:

It was quite tricky to bat on. The ball held on the wicket, it bounced very little. The hardest conditions were at the start of the day, till the 30th over. Then we found ways to get out. It was a difficult pitch to bat on, and I expect it to be that way throughout the game. That8217;s why we had decided that the best way forward would be to bat first if we won the toss.

The conditions were tough, and it will be more difficult to score as the match progresses. It8217;s very, very hard to score on, and it will be so over the next three days. We will try and put pressure on India with in-out fields, try and restrict them because I think the wicket will deteriorate.

On his innings:

I was trying to be as passive as possible at the start. Phil Jaques and I worked out that since most of the fielders were behind the stumps, we would go through with our shots when the ball was pitched up. We did take our chances a bit, but it was calculated under the circumstances.

On his liking for Indian bowlers:

I don8217;t know if there is anything about their bowling I like. But I really enjoy playing spin, and a majority of the overs today were spin overs. My partnership with Phil was significant.

On the MCG and its significance in his career:

I really enjoy this venue. There is a good vibe around the ground, the spirit of Christmas. This is the stage, it8217;s all about the people. I felt it was worthy of that kind of celebration. It was one of my best hundreds, I was pretty pumped up.

On Kumble8217;s performance:

He is right up there with Warnie and Murali. He is such an unusual bowler. He is unorthodox in that he doesn8217;t turn it a great deal. His venomous balls are the toppie and the wrong 8216;un. He gets a lot more bounce than most bowlers, though today, he didn8217;t have that help.

But champion bowlers produce champion results under all conditions. His preparation has always been good, he is a solid performer and a truly champion cricketer.