Commemorating 20th anniversary of India's greatest test win ever ?

[Harsh Thakor]

This month on March 11-14th we celebrated the 20th anniversary of India's most remarkable test win ever and its greatest comeback ever in history of test cricket. The win will be written forever in the annals of sport. Australian cricket had written a myth of invincibility securing 16 consecutive test wins, plundering the world like Emperor Alexandra. It gave sensation of being a manifestation of the divine.

 

India looked dead and buried after following on 274 runs in the arrears, after Australia had put up a total of 445 in the 1st innings. However a partnership of 376 runs between Rahul Dravid and VVS Laman ressurected India from the grave to reach the pinnacle of glory. To triumph by a margin of 171 runs.What looked a sheer formality of victory turned into a nightmare for Australia. It was only the third time that a team won a test match after following on. I just don't have an adjective how the adrenalin in the Indian dressing room and later on the filed was so pumped up after the classic partnership of Rahul and VVS.I t was reminiscent of a new life infused in the team with Harbahajan Singh ripping through the middle order. Ironic that three of the key dismissals was claimed by Tendulkar who failed with the bat but played a match-winning role as a bowler. To me it was almost the equivalent of a century from Sachin when he foxed Gilchrist,Hayden and Ponting.

To me the partnership of Dravid and Laxman had no equal in the history of the game creating the sensation of a divine intervention or a 360 degree turn of plot in a Hollywood epic. One got a sensation of classic monument being constructed in no man’s land. with the two essaying a script. The partnership conjured up memories of Gavaskar and Vishwanath batting together, two decades before. The partnership took sporting temperament to a zenith rarely reached, when you analyse the strength and form of the opponents and the strength of the Australian team. I never saw a partnership blend attack and defence in such proportion or displaying such volumes of courage or conviction.. It resembled an army batallion recovering to prepare for an offensive, from the brink of certain defeat.

 

Laxman took batting artistry to regions rarely explored in the game executing strokes resembling the touches of a painters brush on a board and the command of a conductor leading a symphony. I can never forget his dazzling hook of Michael Kasprowicz and ,his glorious straight and cover drives of Glen Mcgrath and Shane Warne. I have rarely seen strokeplay executed with such remorseless ease as though he was tending a flock or making curves on board.The knock had not more than two-three blemishes or stroke of luck. I could hardly believe India was in a crisis when witnessing the sheer effortlessness of his strokes. The strokes posessed the imagination of a poet combined with the punch of a boxer, looking as though he was merely toying with the bowling. Batting domination was taken to sublime proportions. His knock contained 44 boundaries and scored of a mere 452 balls in 631 mins.

On the other hand Rahul Dravid was technical skill, concentration and organization personified ,resembling an architect. Resembling a monk meditating he had no lapses in concentration and stood like a wall similar to a boulder resisting a gale.Laxman's innings constituted every element of the perfect test innings, scoring mainly on the front foot but also executing some great strokes on the backfoot.The flow and continuity of his strokeplay resembled the waves of an ocean.Dravid treated every bal on merit as few batsmen ever did and executed some of the most classical drives.

In the 2nd Innings with Australia chasing 384 runs, the match seemed destined towards a draw before Harbhajan Singh and Tendulkar intervened in the manner of thunder and lightning coming from nowhere. In many ways it revived memories of England's miraculous win at Leeds in 1981 in similar circumstances. With a sudden flurry of wickets a spark turned into a Prairie fire. In the 2nd innings the Indian spinners looked like a boxer giving a knockout punch, with killer instinct at its boiling point. It is hard to give justice to the level of ecstasy amongst the players and in the crowds ,as though they had witnessed a miracle .

 

In no uncertain terms I will give great credit to the leadership of Saurav Ganguly,,who played the role of a propellor tactically and psychologically. He was at his tactical best promoting laxman to batting at one down position and promoting himself in the 2nd innings and in introducing Tendulkar into the attack. to make crucial breakthroughs in the 2nd innings. I challenge any leader to galvanize his troops the manner Ganguly did .Without Saurav's contribution David would never have overpowered the Goliath.

The win propelled India not only to square the series but lay the base for a series victory by clinching the final test at Madras. I can never remember in cricket history how a single victory created such a metamorphosis in team. The myth of Australian invincibility was shattered. Above all it also won a victory for the game of test cricket as a whole proving that no form of the game had more twists or turns. In it's own right it ushered in a new era in Indian cricket if you asess how later in some games it swung fortunes in similar magnitude. In the past India was known for achieving heroic draws with odds stacked against them but not wins. In Adelaide in 2003-04 India ressurected this same spark, as well as in Chennai v England in 2008-09, at Bangalore v Australia in 2010 or in the last win at Brisbane. I give a lot of credit to the leadership of Ganguly for moulding this energy into Indian cricket. I can never India ever turning a game at such a magnitude even under leadership of Pataudi, Wadekar,,Gavaskar,Kapil dev or Azharuddin.Saurav passed on the torch to successor Mahendra Singh Dhoni who inherited his predecessors' ebullience.

 

This knock of 281 proved that in terms of raw talent Laxman could sit with the Gods of Olympus. Overall he did not match the greatness of a Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid ,but on his day could surpass them both for sheer batting wizardry. It is notable that in 4th innings run chases he had a better average than Lara,Ponting,Sachin or Viv Richards. Laxman's best batting against the best side of his era, Australia, surpassed that of Tendulkar or Dravid .Facing sheer pace and bounce ,he was possibly the best batsman of his era. He enabled India to score a miraculous win in a last wicket partnership at Bangalore in 2010 and in a run chase in Sri Lanka.I n many ways he was an incarnate of Gundappa Vishwanath.

On the other hand Rahul Dravid was the epitome of grit, technical perfection and temperament and arguably the best batsman in the world in a crisis. For a significant period Dravid overshadowed Tendulkar,winning more games for India. Arguably Rahul scored more fifties and centuries in tune with the situation than even Sachin.I can't recall a pair of batsmen who could virtually pull of a Houdini act twice, with history repeating itself at Adelaide in 2003-04.

 

I admire both of these batsmen for their selfless attitude, never playing for individual .records.laxman and Dravid rolled into one would constitute what was close to the perfect batsman. At their best they could stitch the threads to repair wounds like few ever.Sadly unlike Dravid,

 

Laxman was hardly at his best against the moving ball in England .Lack of consistency cost VVS a place amongst the all-time greats ,unlike Dravid.Laxman finished his test career with 17 centuries,8781 runs at an average of 45.97.It bracketed him with batsmen like Mark Waugh or Inzamam ul Haq,but not with likes of Lara or Tendulkar.In contrast Dravid carved a permanent niche amongst the greats scoring 36 centuries at 52.3 and 13,288 runs.Still laxman was remarkable in 4th innings winning run chases, averaging over 79.VVS had a comparatively better strike rate of 49 against Dravid's 42,but in matches and centuries in winning causes they were about on par. Both averaged around 53 in wins with over one third of their centuries in winning causes. It is of no strange coincidence that this year we commemorate the 25th anniversary of the debut in test cricket of Dravid,Laxman and Saurav Ganguly-three stalwarts in defining Indian cricket.

Even if failing with the bat it is no coincidence that Tendulkar's crucial blows with the ball played an important role in shaping the mirage at Kolkata in 2001 .He also played a crucial hand in India winning the series in cliff hanger at Madras. Thus morally he stupefied critics who claim he was not a match-winner.

 

Thus we commemorate the 2oth anniversary of the test and series that elevated the spirit , intensity and entertainment of test cricket to its supreme glory. Arguably the best ever test side in the history of the game was toppled. Few better illustrations of how sport is in the mind or shaped by mental fortitude.

Edited March 27, 2021 by Harsh Thakor

[R!TTER]

The Melbourne & Brisbane wins have the potential to be even bigger! Let's see where this * leads us in the next half a decade or so 

[zen]

Anyone who saw that game live will feel it is one of the greatest turnaround ever (certainly greatest among the ones that I saw) 

 

S Waugh is a great competitor (Aus beat Pak in 1997/8, where Waugh himself got a 157 after Aus were 20 odd for 3) and wanted to beat Ind in Ind. Came really close if not for that VVS's inning. Following on, VVS probably played the best inning ever played in the subcon. In the next test too, VVS guided Ind home 

Edited March 27, 2021 by zen

[bowl_out]

Certainly the biggest Test win for India..

Brisbane comes in as a close second

[Norman]

Yes. Joint best with Brisbane. 

[New guy]

Brisbane was the best win ever. This test was the greatest turn about and come from behind win ever 

[adi B]

Our Greatest test win ever and certainly will be for the majority of our fan base .

I remember people bursting crackers on the streets after we won the match and everyone glued to their TVs 

[Jimmy Cliff]

Sickular Kangress governments might win you the ICC tournaments but you need kammunal NDA governments for  GOAT Test series wins.