When Thursday dawns, it will mark the 20th anniversary of the magic of Eden! And it looks as though just yesterday V.V.S. Laxman was essaying his silken drives against Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens in that Test for the ages, one which perhaps scripted India’s greatest triumph in cricket’s longest format.
On March 11, 2001, the second Test between India and Australia commenced with the host trailing 0-1 after the loss at Mumbai. The woes continued as Australia posted 445 in the first innings with skipper Steve Waugh’s 110 and Harbhajan Singh’s hat-trick enlivening the proceedings.
India replied with 171 in which Laxman, stepping in at six, top-scored with a 59. Waugh keen on securing the ‘Final Frontier’, enforced the follow-on and the rest is history. Promoted to number three, Laxman’s incredible 281 (452b, 44x4) and his 376-run fifth-wicket partnership with Rahul Dravid, whose 180 (353b, 20x4) was equally important, altered the contest’s destiny.
India’s second innings score of 657 for seven declared left Australia with a target of 384 on a fifth day pitch. Harbhajan claimed six wickets and India won by 171 runs in a turnaround that had magic and grit woven into it. Twenty years later, Laxman rewinds the clock as he talks over phone from Mumbai and true to the man, the over-riding theme is one of modesty: “The first thing I feel is about how lucky and blessed I was to be part of such a wonderful Test.”
V.V.S. Laxman
And as he remembers that surreal phase, Laxman admits to a sense of wonder: “Just the magnitude of the situation and to play in that fashion against a tough Australian side, even today it gives me goose-bumps and sort of teaches us that nothing is impossible in life.”
Not many would know that he almost missed the game and Laxman recalls: “Three days before the match, while batting I had a stiff back. Later in the hotel, our physio Andrew (Leipus) asked me to see myself in the mirror after asking me to remove my shirt. I was shell-shocked, my entire upper body had tilted to the left-side. I almost cried. Andrew reassured me and thanks to him and to John’s (coach Wright) desire that I play even if I was 70 or 60 per cent fit, all that worked in my favour, otherwise probably I wouldn’t have played.”
V.V.S. Laxman
His alliance with Dravid was the one that broke the Aussies’ resolve. “When Rahul came in, I was nervous, he was batting at number three and now he was coming at six. Usually Rahul doesn’t talk much when he comes in but this time he did the fist-bump and he tells: ‘good going, let us keep up the fight’. We had a decent partnership on the third day evening and I got to my 100 and while walking back Rahul told me, ‘I am so proud about the way you batted the whole day’.”
The duo extended its heroics into the fourth day and Laxman narrates: “Jamy (Dravid) mentioned let’s have a goal of batting the whole day! And like the way we batted together for South Zone, there was a certain amount of calmness with Rahul. The toughest phase was after tea, Rahul came into the Test with a viral fever and I was struggling with my back. The Australians were coming hard at us. We endured the pain and kept motivating each other.”
While snuggling into nostalgia, Laxman lauded Harbhajan too. “Bhajji had great rhythm, the ball was drifting towards slip, turning and bouncing sharply. With Sourav’s ability to give security to a youngster, Bhajji bowled with a lot of freedom.”
And as the interview wound down, Laxman felt that the can-do spirit is evident in the current team too. As for his 281, all that he feels is infinite gratitude for being part of one of the greatest Tests ever and a series which India won 2-1.
