VVS Laxman recalls his iconic partnership with Rahul Dravid in 2001 Eden Gardens Test

India won the 2001 Eden Gardens Test against Australia by 171 runs after following on.

VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid (Pic. source: BCCI/ Twitter)

It was on this very date (March 14) in 2001, legendary India batsmen VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid stitched together an iconic 376-run partnership against Australia to snatch a historic Test victory from the jaws of defeat at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

India were forced to follow on after getting bundled out for 171 in reply to Australia's first innings total of 445. It was then Laxman and Dravid produced two of the greatest Test innings ever that helped India to notch up 657/7 (declared) in the second innings.

While Laxman batted his way to a marathon 281, Dravid scored a spirited 180 with cramps. The duo batted the entire fourth day adding 335 runs and their eventual stand of 376 carried India from 254/4 to 589/4.

Recalling that unforgettable day, Laxman took to micro-blogging site Twitter and posted a couple of nostalgic pictures of him and Rahul Dravid.

"Some days give us an opportunity to know ourselves better & realize what we are capable of.17 years ago was one such day,which reemphasized my belief that we should not give up and an opportunity to serve my country. Was not just me and Rahul,but Bhajji ,Sachin and the whole team," VVS captioned the image.

The important factor to note was that Laxman was promoted to No.3 in the second innings while Dravid was pushed down to No.6 in the batting order. Set a target of 384 in the fourth innings, Harbhajan scalped 6/73 as Australia collapsed from 166/3 to 212 all-out to give India a historic 171-run victory. The Kolkata victory also ended Steve Waugh’s men 16-match winning streak while this Test was only the third instance in history when a team had won a match after following on.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 14 Mar, 2018

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