In the words of Aldous Huxley, most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.
But when it comes to Test cricket, most humans aren’t the Australian and Indian women’s teams; the opportunities to play them are simply too rare and the simple act of donning whites too precious for any complacency to creep in.
So it was no surprise to see smiles, tears and hugs all around as two Blue Caps and four Baggy Greens were presented to the debutants in the first Test match between these two sides in 15 years.
It was the Australian newbies in the action first after Meg Lanning won the toss and elected to bowl but, after all the talk of a quick pitch, the green-tinge disguised a surface that more benign than Darcie Brown and Stella Campbell might have expected in their first Test.
Brown opened the bowling with Ellyse Perry, who has spent the past few days working on her action with bowling coach Ben Sawyer and Mitchell Starc.
It seemed to have paid off to an extent; Perry’s opening spell was better than any she has bowled so far in this series, and there was swing on offer before the lacquer started to wear.
But Australia’s quicks struggled to find a fuller length that might seriously trouble Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma; while they both played and missed at some times and played false strokes at others, there were too many loose deliveries to relieve any pressure and without Megan Schutt’s venom, Australia’s attack lacked bite.
It didn’t help that three chances off Verma’s bat went down in the first session; two of them were undoubtedly difficult but the third, off the bowling of Sophie Molineux, could only be described as a sitter, Verma driving the ball straight to Annabel Sutherland - another debutante - at mid on only for it to burst through her hands.
Mandhana offered no chances, even though she didn’t always look completely at ease.
It may be a cliche to talk of elegant left-handers but Mandhana is the embodiment of one; all high-elbowed angles and free-flowing flourishes that deserve to be framed and hung in their own wing of a cricketing Louvre.
Intriguingly, her strength is also a weakness, the back foot punches and cuts through the point region bring plenty of runs but she is also prone to slicing the ball straight to a well-positioned fielder.
But Australia bowled too short in the first hour and strayed either side of the wicket, offering easy runs to Mandhana as she galloped to a sprightly half-century off 51 balls.
The introduction of spin in the 16th over - earlier, perhaps, than might have been expected - gave Australia some measure of control and completely changed the tone of the session.
Molineux and Ashleigh Gardner bowled tightly in tandem, the runs dried up immediately and the resulting pressure told on Verma, who attempted to swipe Molineux across the line but instead skewed the ball to McGrath at mid off; sometimes in Test cricket, the simplest plans pay off.
Mandhana was more patient and, even though her scoring rate had slowed considerably, she waited for the balls that invited her artistry, her timing exquisite on cuts to the boundary and on one glorious pull shot off McGrath over the deep square leg rope for six.
And Punam Raut, replacing Verma at the crease, was in no hurry, scoring eight runs off 44 balls before lightning flashed above the stadium and halted play in the 40th over.
The forecast thunderstorm arrived to spoil the party and prevent the spectacle of two evening sessions enlivened by the pink ball under lights, although the players did return to the field for a brief period before play was abandoned for the night.
The eagerness of the two captains to get back on the field was evident, as was their frustration at being prevented to do so by the teeming rain.
There may still be time for a result in this Test but, with rain also predicted for Day 2 and India just one wicket down, Australia will need to make inroads quickly; if pace doesn’t work, Lanning still has her leg spinner Georgia Wareham, who has yet to bowl in this match.
But, regardless of the result of this Test, the delays beg the question of whether a five-day match should be considered for these multi-format series.
All too often, women’s Tests are played on slow or flat pitches; India’s recent Test against England was, disappointingly, played on a used pitch.
Throw in a session or two lost to rain and, although one hundred overs are scheduled for each day, these mitigating factors don’t help the chances of an outright win.
But there is still a possibility of one on the Gold Coast, and Mandhana has given her side every chance of claiming it.
And for as long as we're treated to those graceful shots produced by a female player in whites, well, we shouln't take that for granted.
