5 talking points from all the Boxing Day cricket

Boxing Day brought with it an unequaled euphoria for cricket fans around the globe as many as 4 games were played throughout the day.

This included the 3 Test matches - India vs Australia, New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, South Africa vs Pakistan and the BBL game between the reigning champions Adelaide Strikers and Perth Scorchers.

Here we compile the 5 talking points from all the action on a riveting Boxing Day.

#5 Mayank makes a mark on debut

The opening slot had been Team India's chink in the armour on all of their overseas tours this year. Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, and KL Rahul had all been tried and tested and didn't impress. Prithvi Shaw's injury at the start of the tour and Rahul and Vijay's continuous dismal performances earned Mayank Agarwal a much-deserved spot in the team.

A boxing day Test match at the magnificent MCG when the series was tied at 1-1 - Mayank Agarwal couldn't have scripted a better stage for his debut and the Karnataka player didn't disappoint.

Agarwal took some body blows from Pat Cummins, survived the devilish invariable bounce off the surface, and most importantly, put out a quintessential display of how to play the offie Nathan Lyon who had devoured his teammates in the last game. It was only fitting that Aggarwal reached his 50 after coming down the track to a Nathan Lyon, exemplarily getting close to the pitch of the ball and drilling it down the ground for a four.

A short ball down the leg proved to be Mayank's undoing but not before the Karnataka batsman became the highest-scoring Indian batsman on debut in Australia during his nifty 76-run knock, going past Dattu Phadkar's 51 at the SCG in 1947.