The historic Kolkata Test of the 2001 series between India and Australia, which saw India register a miraculous come-from-behind win in what was a do-or-die game for the home side, who were trailing 1-0 after a heavy defeat in the opening game in Mumbai, completed 25 years.
The Partnership
The historic Kolkata Test saw the duo of Rahul Dravid and VS Laxman bat out an entire day without losing their wickets, which meant that India would not lose the match and had a slim hope of winning it on the final day, which they did.
The Reaction
Reflecting on the historic Kolkata Test, the then Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said, “It was destiny. It was a fairytale. I don’t have a recipe for that. I didn’t do that. It just happened.”
The Impact
Talking about the role that Eden Gardens has played in his journey as a cricketer, Harbhajan Singh, who was one of the architects of India’s victory in that series, said: “I came to this world due to my parents, but I don’t know what I would be without Eden Gardens.” “Whenever I come here, those memories come to mind.”
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The Opportunity
Talking about the circumstances that led to him getting a chance against Australia, Harbhajan said, “Of course, Anil Kumble Bhai got injured. John Wright wanted someone who could take wickets. They called everyone to bowl in the nets and thought I was the best of the lot. Ganguly insisted on having me. I was taking wickets in domestic cricket.”
The Decision
Shedding light on the last day of the match, Harbhajan said, “I think on that fifth day we had the total on the board. Knowing Australia, they would come hard at us. When to declare and when not to declare was the question in the dressing room. In the end, around 74 to 76 overs were enough. Those superb catches by Rahul Dravid, Shiv Sundar Das and S Ramesh. That Test gave us belief.”
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The Moment
Former Indian fast bowler, who was also a part of the historic Kolkata Test, shared an incident on how he dropped a catch and what transpired after that. In the words of Prasad, “I dropped a catch. I lost it because the crowd was behind me. In the tea session, it was hell for me. I was feeling rotten. It kept playing on TV. These two guys, commentators Ravi Shastri and Ian Chappell, kept talking about it. You don’t want to be near the coach, John Wright. John said, ‘You’ve got to take those catches, man.”
The Plan
Zaheer Khan also had his say while discussing the memories of the historic Kolkata Test. According to Zaheer, “At the beginning of the fourth day, we had a chat. Chetan Chauhan was our manager, I think. He said, ‘We shouldn’t lose a wicket for the entire day.’ Laxman and Dravid, the way they batted, the lead kept growing. Eventually, we reached a position from where we couldn’t lose the game.”