This is why the Baggy Green means so much

But Hauritz, at least, had a special moment to remember the day by: The ceremonial donning of the Baggy Green, the traditional Australian cap.

The cap is always handed over in a ritual befitting its status. So as his seniors formed a neat huddle, and as the support staff clicked the pictures, Hauritz was presented the cap by the oldest member of the squad, Glenn McGrath, who accompanied it with several words of wisdom.

He was, as expected, mighty pleased. ‘‘Receiving the baggy green is what every kid dreams of’’, Hauritz (23) later told The Indian Express.

No such memories for Messrs Kaarthick and Gambhir. Away from the public and media glare Polly Umrigar gave Gambhir his Test cap while Kiran More presented it to Kaarthick.

‘‘It’s a missing element’’, said BCCI secretary SK Nair, promising a similar ceremony in the future. ‘‘ I have noted the Aussie way and will suggest it to the team management. It’s a nice way to bring in a new player.’’ Hauritz would certainly vouch for it. It capped — pardon the pun — an incredible few hours during which he learnt he would be playing the Test.

As is his routine, Hauritz went to bed quite early on Tuesday night. While he was sleeping, the news broke of Shane Warne’s broken right thumb and the decision to fly him back home. When he awoke this morning, Hauritz saw his cell phone displaying several text messages from people at home wishing him.

He didn’t understand then what it was all about. ‘‘Only at the breakfast table did I learn of Warnie’s injury and the fact that I was in the playing XI.’’

Though he’s been 12th man several times, and twice on this tour, he says being in the actual playing XI is a very special feeling. It’s a moment he’s waited two full years for following his surprise inclusion in the one-day squad on the 2001-02 South Africa tour.

Since then Hauritz has been on the fringes, having played eight ODIs (picking up nine wickets in the process) and being part of the 2003 World Cup winning squad.