Memorable matches
As I told you guys am starting with the series of " Memorable matches". Most of these matches would be etched in your memories already and this is just an effort to rekindle the same.
The first one of the lot is a match which in a sense, just changed the magnitude of Indian cricket.
Without much deliberations let's cut to the chase.
India vs Australia, Eden gardens 2001 :
The backdrop of the match wasn't all that heartening for team India. Sachin Tendulkar didn't exactly turn out to be the captain everybody and he himself expected him to be. India was in a transitional phase following the match fixing scandal after which people started to question the integrity of the game. It needed a strong leader to turn it around for them and boy did Sourav Ganguly fit the bill perfectly.
Amidst all this India didn't start the Eden test as favorites for they were against literally the best team in the world making giant strides across the globe. (Steve Waugh's team was on a world record 16 consecutive test wins).
After the hiding at Mumbai and the first innings collapse it wouldn't be preposterous to say that things weren't going as per plan for India other than the bowling of a teenage Harbhajan.
That was the time when I started following the game and except me none of them who watched the match with me thought there was a chance for the Indians to revive themselves after following on and conceding a lead of 274. It was a lost cause for already.
I had applied all the cricketing knowledge an 8 year old can and something in me was telling that India wasn't gonna go down without a fight.
Come the second innings one could see India batting with some purpose.
Openers Das and Ramesh put on a good 52 runs for the first wicket before Ramesh was out caught at slip.
In came Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman whose name only I didn't like then. It was so long for an 8 year old to remember. People around me started chiding the Indian captain for meddling with the batting order. An uncle of mine told that " The first innings lead had made Ganguly lose his mind and he will be well advised to look for a therapist". I din't know what was the big fuss about but was certainly not happy to see Vangipurapu at no. 3( Little did I know that this was gonna change Indian cricket in ways I could ever imagine).
Das was out and was soon followed by my childhood hero Sachin Tendulkar. It was turning out to be a lost cause even for me. Laxman was then joined by the skipper and the duo put on a stand of 100+ but despite that India was in no way close to win or even draw the test match. In walks Rahul David at no. 6 & India ended the day at 250/4 with Laxman batting at 109 and Dravid at 7.
Not even the best of the cricket minds would have predicted what was gonna follow on day 4. This day of the Eden test remains the best day at office for team India since then.
Two youngsters, one of them who wasn't even sure of his place in the team were cutting, pulling, driving and doing all sorts of things with the willow against arguably the best bowling attack of their times comprising of two all time legends Glen Mcgrath and Shane Warne. Especially, Laxman's treatment of Warne made him look like a nets bowler.India ended day 4 at 589/4 with Laxman remaining unbeaten on 275 and Dravid on 155. Steve Waugh had to use as much as 9 bowlers but none of them could eve come close to taking a wicket.The day's play didn't just say but yelled out to the rest of the world that the transition was complete and the team was in safe hands with the Class of 96' taking centre stage.
Ganguly declared on day 5 at 657/7 with the declaration coming a little later then what the pundits wanted it to come. Laxman scored 281 and Dravid 180 respectively. Dravid as always playing a perfect ally to his partner without being ambitious for his own records.
India had 75 overs to bowl out the best team in the world who were inching towards to what they called the "final frontier". Ganguly told he was very much aware of the fact that the delayed declaration will come back to haunt him if the Aussies had managed to cling on to a draw but he just couldn't take a chance and given them something they can chase down for he was playing the game without his best bowlers(The karnataka duo of Javagal Srinath & Anil Kumble).
Australia went to tea at 161/3 with two set batsmen and just one session to see through. If this wasn't enough the skipper dropped a sitter of his opposite number. The fourth day heroics wouldn't hold any value if the Aussies had managed to draw. This is when the Turban clad Harbhajan clogged the limelight again by dismissing Steve Waugh & Ricky Ponting(Ponting had no clue to Harbhajan all through the series).
Amidst all this mayhem Sachin Tendulkar who missed out with the bat decided to have some fun of his own. He picked up three quick wickets including those of Mathew Hayden & Adam Gilchrist with Gilly being the only player to bag a king pair in Australian cricket then(I still remember the scatter mouth Manjrekar saying in commentary "Just one over for you mate" when Ganguly gave the ball to Sachin)
Finally, when umpire Bansal raised his finger when Harbhajan trapped Glen Mcgrath for 12 history was made. India became only the second team to win a test match after following on in a test match. They had their newborn heroes Laxman & Bhajji to thank for.
As I told you guys am starting with the series of " Memorable matches". Most of these matches would be etched in your memories already and this is just an effort to rekindle the same.
The first one of the lot is a match which in a sense, just changed the magnitude of Indian cricket.
Without much deliberations let's cut to the chase.
India vs Australia, Eden gardens 2001 :
The backdrop of the match wasn't all that heartening for team India. Sachin Tendulkar didn't exactly turn out to be the captain everybody and he himself expected him to be. India was in a transitional phase following the match fixing scandal after which people started to question the integrity of the game. It needed a strong leader to turn it around for them and boy did Sourav Ganguly fit the bill perfectly.
Amidst all this India didn't start the Eden test as favorites for they were against literally the best team in the world making giant strides across the globe. (Steve Waugh's team was on a world record 16 consecutive test wins).
After the hiding at Mumbai and the first innings collapse it wouldn't be preposterous to say that things weren't going as per plan for India other than the bowling of a teenage Harbhajan.
That was the time when I started following the game and except me none of them who watched the match with me thought there was a chance for the Indians to revive themselves after following on and conceding a lead of 274. It was a lost cause for already.
I had applied all the cricketing knowledge an 8 year old can and something in me was telling that India wasn't gonna go down without a fight.
Come the second innings one could see India batting with some purpose.
Openers Das and Ramesh put on a good 52 runs for the first wicket before Ramesh was out caught at slip.
In came Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman whose name only I didn't like then. It was so long for an 8 year old to remember. People around me started chiding the Indian captain for meddling with the batting order. An uncle of mine told that " The first innings lead had made Ganguly lose his mind and he will be well advised to look for a therapist". I din't know what was the big fuss about but was certainly not happy to see Vangipurapu at no. 3( Little did I know that this was gonna change Indian cricket in ways I could ever imagine).
Das was out and was soon followed by my childhood hero Sachin Tendulkar. It was turning out to be a lost cause even for me. Laxman was then joined by the skipper and the duo put on a stand of 100+ but despite that India was in no way close to win or even draw the test match. In walks Rahul David at no. 6 & India ended the day at 250/4 with Laxman batting at 109 and Dravid at 7.
Not even the best of the cricket minds would have predicted what was gonna follow on day 4. This day of the Eden test remains the best day at office for team India since then.
Two youngsters, one of them who wasn't even sure of his place in the team were cutting, pulling, driving and doing all sorts of things with the willow against arguably the best bowling attack of their times comprising of two all time legends Glen Mcgrath and Shane Warne. Especially, Laxman's treatment of Warne made him look like a nets bowler.India ended day 4 at 589/4 with Laxman remaining unbeaten on 275 and Dravid on 155. Steve Waugh had to use as much as 9 bowlers but none of them could eve come close to taking a wicket.The day's play didn't just say but yelled out to the rest of the world that the transition was complete and the team was in safe hands with the Class of 96' taking centre stage.
Ganguly declared on day 5 at 657/7 with the declaration coming a little later then what the pundits wanted it to come. Laxman scored 281 and Dravid 180 respectively. Dravid as always playing a perfect ally to his partner without being ambitious for his own records.
India had 75 overs to bowl out the best team in the world who were inching towards to what they called the "final frontier". Ganguly told he was very much aware of the fact that the delayed declaration will come back to haunt him if the Aussies had managed to cling on to a draw but he just couldn't take a chance and given them something they can chase down for he was playing the game without his best bowlers(The karnataka duo of Javagal Srinath & Anil Kumble).
Australia went to tea at 161/3 with two set batsmen and just one session to see through. If this wasn't enough the skipper dropped a sitter of his opposite number. The fourth day heroics wouldn't hold any value if the Aussies had managed to draw. This is when the Turban clad Harbhajan clogged the limelight again by dismissing Steve Waugh & Ricky Ponting(Ponting had no clue to Harbhajan all through the series).
Amidst all this mayhem Sachin Tendulkar who missed out with the bat decided to have some fun of his own. He picked up three quick wickets including those of Mathew Hayden & Adam Gilchrist with Gilly being the only player to bag a king pair in Australian cricket then(I still remember the scatter mouth Manjrekar saying in commentary "Just one over for you mate" when Ganguly gave the ball to Sachin)
Finally, when umpire Bansal raised his finger when Harbhajan trapped Glen Mcgrath for 12 history was made. India became only the second team to win a test match after following on in a test match. They had their newborn heroes Laxman & Bhajji to thank for.
