The 2001 Kolkata Test is written in the golden pages of Indian cricket. VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid stitched together a gargantuan alliance of 376 runs when India had their backs against the wall. Dravid joined forces with Laxman when India was 232-4 and they were still trailing by 42 runs after being asked to follow on by Australian captain Steve Waugh.
Laxman and Dravid had a mountain to climb as they had to keep Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Michael Kasprowicz at bay. VVS, who not only played the best knock of his career but also one of the best knocks in the Test match history, revealed that the plan was to take one over at a time and not think too far ahead.
It was a gargantuan alliance.
The pair batted undefeated on Day Four of the Test match and Australians went back to the pavilion without taking a single wicket. The tide had turned in India’s favour as Dravid and Laxman batted out of their skin to put their teams in front.
Indian captain Sourav Ganguly decided to declare at 657-7, setting an imposing target of 384 for Australians. Laxman scored a tour de force of 281 whereas Dravid scored a gutsy 180 to put together one of the best alliances in the Test match history.
“All of us took a lot of pride playing for the country, and we always wanted to do well, especially in tough situations, but not once did Rahul, during that entire partnership we had, show a glimpse of disappointment. He was showing that fight which we always see from Rahul,” VVS Laxman said on Star Sports.
“After every over, we used to fist pump and the only thing that we were discussing, and telling each other was, ‘Come on buddy. One more over’. That was something that was a great learning for both of us because when you are facing a big challenge, you cannot think about the bigger picture,” he further recalled.
Furthermore, Dravid and Laxman not only had to battle against the Australian bowlers but they also had to beat the sapping Kolkata heat. In fact, Dravid was suffering from viral fever whereas Laxman had his issues with the back. However, both of them went on to play the best knocks of their lives despite the trouble.
Dravid and Laxman were at their best.
“You have to focus on achieving the smaller goals. The easiest goal for us to achieve was to give merit to each and every ball you’re facing and encourage your partner that we got to do this for our country. Rahul was down with a viral fever, I was struggling with my back and all we were telling each other was, ‘One more over.’ And as it turned out, we batted the entire 90 overs on the 4th day,” Laxman added.
It is prudent to say that the Kolkata Test match changed Indian cricket forever. The kind of confidence the team received after the victory was incredible. Harbhajan Singh was also the hero of the match as the off-spinner scalped 13 wickets in the match.