Former India batsman Wasim Jaffer has sent a coded message to India's stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane in Australia, and challenged him and his teammates to decode it.

"Dear @ajinkyarahane88, here's a (hidden) message for you. Good luck for Boxing Day! People, In, Cricket, Know, Grief, In, Life, Lingers, Aplenty, Never, Dabble, Rise, And, Handcraft, Unique, Legacy," tweeted Jaffer, now coach of Uttarakhand.

"PS: you guys are open to have a go and decode the msg too," he wrote in his tweet. Both Jaffer and Rahane come from Mumbai.

Jaffer's tweet comes two days after India recorded their lowest ever innings total - 36 all out - in Test cricket, beating their own 46-year old undesirable record, on way to losing the first Test of the series by eight wickets in Adelaide.

In 1974, the Ajit Wadekar-led Indian team were bowled out for 42, and went on to lose that match at Lord's, London, and the three-match series 0-3.

Now, India have three more Tests to play in Australia, and have an opportunity to bounce back. The second Test begins on December 26 in Melbourne.