Indian cricket has had many births and rebirths over the last five decades, an identity built on big unlikely results and a fighting spirit. The very peak of this came this week 25 years ago, when India’s Test team led by an iconic batting effort from VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid in Kolkata became the first team to win a Test after being forced to follow-on.
That result against the might of the Australian team, at the historic Eden Gardens, is now a big part of the fabric of Indian cricket history. A quarter of a century on, to celebrate the jubilee of that occasion, Laxman and Dravid reflected on what it meant to stitch together that kind of partnership under the fiercest pressure.
Dravid had been knocked down to number six to allow Laxman to be promoted up the order, and both joined forces late on Day 3. One from Karnataka, the other from Hyderabad, it was a pairing that knew what it meant to bat with each other.
“I’ve always really enjoyed batting alongside Laxman because, firstly, he’s a fantastic player and a great batsman to watch. So, you’ve got a really good seat in the house,” said Dravid in an interview with Times of India to commemorate the event. “We’d communicate a little bit, but we’re not like out-and-out big talkers in the middle. So that suited my game as well.”
‘Irritated the Australians…’
A big part of the process was that this wasn’t a result against anyone – it was an AUstralian team at fulls strength in its best era, boasting of a bowling attack that had names like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Jason Gillespie, captained by Ricky Ponting. It was a mental battle, particularly deep into that fourth day as the pair batted the entirety of it out.
“There was a lot of energy around the ground and in the dressing room,” said Laxman. “The players bringing drinks would sometimes pass on messages or encouragement from the team and the crowd at Eden Gardens was incredibly vocal. I think at times that enthusiasm probably irritated the Australians a little, but for us it was just part of the support we were getting.”
Using the support of the Eden Gardens was only one part of the trick – going the extra mile to get the runs on the board against a monstrous Aussie batting unit was key. There were some questions regarding whether the declaration was left too late – something that Dravid interprets as showing Australia respect.
“The runs we piled up in the second innings (657/7 decl.) in some ways were a backhanded compliment to the Australians because they were such a strong team that we believed that we had to put up so many runs on the board,” said Dravid.
‘Beating them was incredibly significant’
Laxman’s incredible 281 was the backbone of the innings as India took an unprecedented 383-run lead, and suddenly, it was Australia in trouble on a Day 5 pitch at the Eden Gardens. With that energetic Kolkata crowd behind them, Harbhajan Singh took 6 wickets, and Sachin Tendulkar chipped in with 3 – including the key scalps of Hayden and Gilchrist.
It was a performance that redefined Indian cricket. “It also allowed us to build from there and steer the team in a certain direction. Even without that win, I believe Indian cricket would eventually have reached where it needed to. But it might have taken a little longer,” said Dravid, who led the team that could argue it sat at the helm of Test cricket in his tenure as coach.
“At that time Australia were such a dominant side so beating them after following-on was incredibly significant,” Laxman explained. “That match was very special for Indian cricket because it reinforced the belief that we could come back from extremely difficult situations and still win a Test match. It showed the value of resilience, patience and belief in Test cricket.”
And in the 25 years since, that has certainly been the case for Indian cricket, for many famous wins, and for the spirit that has come to define it. It there was a place and time where it originated, Eden Gardens 2001 was it.
