I was returning after almost two years and everything in the team had changed: the fitness levels, the attitude and the mentality.
Go beyond the limits with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
I still remember the night after Australia imposed the continuation. National coach Madan Lal asked us to keep fighting. Then Laxman said something that surprised me. He said, “We could win this.” It was hard for him to imagine at the time, but he had the belief.
Rahul Dravid came in at number 6, while Laxman moved up the order. The decision came after talks between coach John Wright and captain Sourav Ganguly. It turned out to be a smart decision.
Laxman and Dravid had known each other for years, from their time in the South Zone and the Under-19s. Once they got used to it, the way they batted for an entire day completely changed the game.
129541476
Advertisement
Tension reigned inside the locker room. A wicket and tail would be exposed. But the way they batted kept us alive. Meanwhile, Australia were so used to winning that they weren’t really playing for a draw. That made things difficult for them.
That series largely belonged to Harbhajan Singh. But Sachin Tendulkar’s pace on day 5 was crucial. He had the experience of bowling under pressure, such as the famous last over in the Hero Cup in 1993, and he again delivered when the team needed him.
READ ALSO: ‘When playing for India, the mind becomes stronger than the body’: VVS Laxman recounts his epic Eden knock
Laxman’s innings was extraordinary. He was coming down the track towards Shane Warne and hitting him even against the spin. That confidence came from years of playing domestic cricket on tracks in Hyderabad.
For me, the Kolkata Test was special because it turned out to be my last match. Getting control of Mark Waugh made it even more memorable. It was the perfect farewell.
More importantly, that Test transformed Indian cricket. It gave the team confidence that we could defend ourselves from any situation and win. There is another little personal memory: the bat with which Laxman scored that famous 281 was actually mine. So, in a small way, that was my contribution to that historic coup.
(Former India left-arm spinner spoke to Vishal Menon)