As Travis Head was out-Bazballing the Bazballers in distant Perth, a classic day of cricket unfolded at Test cricket’s newest venue, the ACA Stadium.

On a surface far truer than the sandpit at Eden Gardens last week, graft and grind and patience and industry were the bywords, for batters and bowlers alike. There were no demons in the 22-yard red-soil strip, though furious run-scoring wasn’t on the cards either on Saturday, Day One of the second Test.