India vs Australia, 2nd Test at Kolkata in 2001: The Greatest Test Match Ever Played
Eden Gardens, Kolkata. 15th March, 2001.
This day was the beginning of a new era in Indian Cricket. It was a Thursday, and a day for drum beats and celebrations, not just at the Eden Gardens, but across the country. This cricket match signified the arrival of team that really defined the phrase ‘Never Give Up’.
The venue was the Ganguly’s home town, where the team literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and also put an end to Steve Waugh’s winning streak of 16 test matches.
But the fight was not as easy as it sounds.
Here’s a day by day summary of the entire test match:
Day 1
Steve Waugh won the toss, and decided to bat first.
Michael Slater and Matthew Hayden put on an opening stand of 103 runs as Australia dominated the first session, only to be tormented by the Indian bowlers in the second one.
The third session again went to the Aussies, which saw Hayden missing out on a century by three runs. Australia at stumps were at 291/8, with the young Harbhajan Singh picking up 5 wickets including a hat-trick in the 72nd over.
Day 2
The Aussies came out to bat with an intention to score as many runs as possible. Steve Waugh was plundering the Indian bowlers, with ample support from Jason Gillespie at the other end.
The duo put on a record 133 runs for the ninth wicket and Waugh got to his 25th international century, following which Australia’s first innings ended at 445 all out.
It was an uphill task for the Indians to manage a lead here. Having lost the first two sessions to the opposition, India came out to bat, only to witness a splendid batting collapse.
India ended their day at 128/8 with VVS Laxman batting superbly.
Day 3
The third day was perhaps the beginning of the fight back. VVS Laxman played elegant shots en route to his 59, but the Indian innings folded at 171.
Trailing by a massive 274 runs, it was an already lost match when Australia decided to enforce a follow on.
The Indians started their innings again, with much more determination this time out.
The openers put on 52 runs for the first wicket before Laxman walked in. He seemed to carry on where he left in the last innings with a series of superb cover drives, wristy flicks and cheeky drags, which kept everyone in awe.
Soon, S.Das and Sachin Tendulkar departed in quick fashion. Skipper Ganguly provided some boost, but fell two short of a half century, bringing Rahul ‘The Wall’ Dravid to the crease. The score read 232/4.
India ended the day at 252/4, trailing by 20. Laxman was unbeaten at 109 and Dravid was supporting him.
Day 4
The day when a miracle happened. Many records went tumbling down the drain, and runs were being scored in plenty. It seemed like Laxman and Dravid were batting with some possessed spirit.
Laxman struck some really splendid shots, and Dravid was busy consolidating the innings in the middle with him. It was a day that was completely dominated by the two South Indians, who played brilliant cricket.
The entire three sessions were dominated by the Indians and the credit went to the two of them. The ball was taken to the cleaners very frequently, leaving the Aussies scratching their heads on the field. The heat on the opposition caused by these two batsmen was more than the Indian summer heat.
India ended the day at 589/4, with a 315 run lead and the dynamic duo still at the crease.
Day 5
Laxman and Dravid came out to bat again.
The match had turned around with Laxman surpassing Sunil Gavaskar’s record score of 236 by scoring a majestic 281 and Dravid making a gritty 180. The two batsman stitched a mammoth 376 run partnership together and soon after they departed, India declared their innings at 657/7 – the second highest test score at that time.
India secured a lead of 383 runs and with 75 overs left in the game, the Aussies had to chase down 384 runs- a target that was never chased before in the history of the game.
But the Aussies are known to never give up. They soon raced to 166/3 in 45 overs, and with 30 overs left in the game, a draw was imminent. Steve Waugh played good defensive cricket, and it became certain that a draw was unavoidable.
Then came something special – the young Harbhajan Singh turned the game around. He dismissed Ponting and Waugh in quick succession and brought an inspired India back into the game.
Sachin Tendulkar then managed to dismiss Adam Gilchrist leg before wicket in the wicketkeeper’s very first delivery, before taking out the menacing Hayden and Shane Warne to end his spell.
Harbhajan came back to scalp 2 more, folding the innings at 212 with 6.3 overs to spare.
India had won an impossible battle by stellar margin of 171 runs. They went on to beat the might Oz again at Chennai, sealing the series 2-1.
It was a historic win, which had put an end to Australia’s dominance in world cricket.
