On this day, 2001: When Dravid, Sachin poured champagne on teammates after historic Kolkata Test win
If ever a book is written on the lines of turning adversity into an advantage, or an opportunity, Team India's historic win in the Kolkata Test versus Australia, on this day in 2001, will surely form a chapter in itself. The then Sourav Ganguly-led Indian team was in shambles after the heavy defeat in the three-match Test series opener, at home, and had to pull up their socks to put an end to Steve Waugh-led Australia's 16-match unbeaten streak in the format.
The second and penultimate Test didn't start well either for the home side, who had just begun their revamp process post the shambolic match-fixing scandal which had shocked Indian cricket. Waugh & Co. won the toss and opted to bat to score 445 all-out, riding on skipper's 110 and Matthew Hayden's 97. Despite Harbhajan Singh's hat-trick -- the first Indian to do so in Tests --, India had a herculean task ahead.
The famed Indian batting line-up surrendered cheaply to be dismissed for 171 all-out. Being enforced to follow-on, trailing by 274 runs, the hosts looked down and out at 232/4. However, the never-say-die attitude, zeal to still give their all and not look too far ahead stood out among the Indians as VVS Laxman (281) and Rahul Dravid (180) stitched a highly-impressive 376-run stand for the fifth-wicket to turn the equation upside down.
The duo batted for the entire Day 4 and tired the Aussie pacers and Shane Warne. Everyone apart from skipper Waugh and keeper-batsman Gilchrist rolled their arms, searching for a breakthrough.
As a result, India posted 657/7 decl. and set an imposing 384-run target for the visitors. Batting on Day 5 on an Indian surface, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, was never easy as Harbhajan and Sachin Tendulkar wreaked havoc on a mentally-dented Aussie line-up to dismiss them for 212 all-out. Thus, India won the Test by a historic 172-run margin and it became only the third such instance where a team won despite following-on.
The win certainly changed the way Test cricket was seen whereas it also gave birth to a memorable rivalry between India and Australia. The rivalry hasn't died down to the date and it remains one of the most cherished for cricket loyalists worldwide. Both sides recently played four Tests in Australia, where Ajinkya Rahane-led India replicated a similar such performance from the 2001 series to emerge on top (2-1).
The last edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was in many ways a fitting tribute to the historic 2001 series as India won after battling several obstacles, such as a horrific loss in the series opener, several injuries with regular captain Virat Kohli missing, due to paternity leave, from the last three Tests.
