16 June,2020 07:00 AM IST | | IANS
VVS Laxman
Batting great VVS Laxman has said the epic 2001 Eden Test win against Australia felt like the entire nation was celebrating with them although the team had little time to reflect on the miraculous performance to draw the three-match series level.
The Australians had arrived in India on the back of 15 consecutive wins and beat India in Mumbai, the hosts then snatched victory from the jaws of defeat at Eden and then they won in Chennai to bag the series 2-1.
Laxman played the innings of his life along with Rahul Dravid as he scored 281 batting at No.3 while Dravid struck 180 to take India to a commanding position after managing just 171 in the first innings in reply to Australia-s 445. India declared on 657/7 in the second essay and bowled the Aussies out for 212 to win the Test by 171 runs.
Laxman was adjudged Man of the Match. "We immediately had to go to Chennai. There was very little time to celebrate, but it felt like the whole country was celebrating along with us after that victory," Laxman told the Times of India in an interview.
ALSO READ
T20I series win in SA special: Laxman
"There was a lot more blue in the crowd than actually green": VVS Laxman
In three T20Is, we''ve seen fearless approach by India: VVS Laxman
Rinku’s form and batting position in focus as India eye series win v SA
VVS Laxman hails Rohit for taking ownership of making wrong decision after toss
Harbhajan Singh finished the series with a whopping 32 wickets, including a hat-trick in the Eden Test. Laxman said that performance was the best he has seen of the veteran off-spinner especially at such a young age and in his comeback series. He also lauded then captain and now BCCI President Sourav Ganguly for showing faith in -Bhajji- as he is fondly known.
"For a youngster making a comeback into the team, it was brilliant. Of course, he got a lot of confidence from Sourav, who backed him to the hilt because there was no Anil Kumble or Javagal Srinath.
"It was very tough to hit Bhajji the way he was bowling. The best part was Bhajji taking a hat-trick. The confidence levels suddenly changed after the hat-trick. Some brilliant catches as well," Laxman recounted.
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel @middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
