ডাকবাংলা

Which was the Test during which I chatted with the slips fielders about top 10 movies, top 10 stars and Top 10 songs without a single wicket disturbing our chat? In which Test match did Shane Warne and I swap hats, desperate for a turn in luck against the run of play? And which Test match do I now feel privileged to have been part of even though I did not score a run in it? The Eden Gardens, exactly 20 years ago, was host to an India-Australia Test match of the highest quality, a Test with enough drama, twists, turns and high-octane performances to ensure that its anniversary is still celebrated.

The visitors, my team led by Steve Waugh had not drawn, a Test in more than two years – we had won every Test in that period. Our aim when we landed in India was to ensure that our streak of wins included a series win in India, something that had eluded successive Australian teams for many decades. After 16 successive wins, we arrived at Kolkata fresh from our win in Mumbai. The Test in Mumbai had been my first Test in the subcontinent, made all the more special by our win within three days as well as my own century in the Test.

I remember our celebrations at Wankhede after the win, it was business as usual even though it was our first win in India after many years. Such was our dominance over world cricket in the last three-four years.

The hosts were at a different point in their team’s narrative. A new group was at the peak of their powers with the bat, and a young bowling unit was developing steadily. And most crucially, they had a leader, Sourav Ganguly, who was helping to grow and develop the side into an assertive and aggressive unit that took all comers head on. This was the speed hump that was to stop our 16-match streak at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

I do not think we were either cocky or over-confident going into the Kolkata Test. We batted well on the first day, and the Harbhajan Singh hat-trick notwithstanding, we managed to get to 445, a very solid first innings score. I have vivid memories of Harbhajan’s hat-trick, primarily because I was one of his three scalps! It was brilliant drama, and provided the first hint of magic in what was to become one of the games most iconic contests! In the context of the game, it prevented Australia from getting to 550-600, which would have truly put the match out of India’s grasp.

Every member of that team has been asked whether enforcing the follow-on was the right decision. I am certain it was! One has to remember that that was the time when control and dominance were key to the way we played. Our plans were going well, and at 180 for four on the afternoon of the third day, nobody could have imagined what was to follow. Rahul Dravid, who had dropped down the order to number six, and VVS Laxman who had batted well in the first innings as well, had got a small partnership going. It was the last pair of specialist batsmen and victory was but two steps away at stumps.

It is hard to describe the partnership between Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, one simply runs out of superlatives. From a counter-defence it gradually turned into a magnificent counter-attack. VVS’s attack on Warne, Dravid’s impregnable defence and the way our dreams came crashing around us is all still vivid in my mind. My recollections are of how each of us tried to keep our hopes up. We distracted ourselves with ‘Top 10’ quizzes, sampled some superstitious moves and at one point Jason Gillespie flapped his arms like a bird in what he called a ‘condor move’. It was clear the batsmen were exhausted, but since they were riding an impossible dream, they had strength and focus to fight through sapping fatigue. We were on the other hand fighting exhaustion as well as a growing sense of disappointment at seeing our dreams being decimated. I do not recall another day of wicket-keeping where no wicket has fallen, and I am truly grateful for that.

Harbhajan once again showed us the standards he had achieved in that series, he was bowling as well as any spinner I have faced. A famous India win was achieved in front of a raucous Kolkata crowd who played a key role in the Test, and while it seemed deeply disappointing at the time, I now feel privileged to have been part of such a Test.

The India-Australia contest has been a special one in these intervening 20 years. We did come back to India and fashion a famous win in 2004-05 against the same Indian side, with wins at Bangalore and Nagpur. I led in those Tests, standing in for Ricky Ponting, and it was a true honour to finally cross that hurdle in our quest to do well in all countries.

If Test wins like the one being celebrated here heralded the start of a new look Team India, the Indian Premier League at the end of the decade firmly made India the team to look out for. Several Australians play in the IPL as do the best from other countries as well. The upside is that it has helped both players, the Indians and the overseas players, get to know each other well. The down side is that it has helped the Indians get to know their opponents a bit too well!

In balance I would rate these three wins as our best wins against India:

1. Bangalore Test, 2004-05: When we won on the back of defensive fields that were a departure from our all-out attack strategy,

2. Mumbai Test, 2000-2001: Our 16^th straight win, and it was great to score a century in my first Test in India!

3. Nagpur, 2004-05: We were happy to get a wicket that suited pace, but we still had to deliver. This was the win that gave us our first series win in India in many many years.

It would be fair to say that India have had some sensational watershed wins against Australia. So many that choosing three is actually quite a challenge!

1. Kolkata Test, 2000-2001: Simply the greatest Test I have ever seen or been part of.

2. Melbourne Test 2020-21: I would rate it a shade above the Brisbane win because it came on the back of 36 all out and the departure of Virat Kohli. Jinx’s (Ajinkya Rahane) century was truly a special one.

3. Perth Test, 2007-08: Fresh from the controversy of the Sydney Test, and once again, facing a Team with 16 straight wins, this is an underrated Test match. We know whom not to face when we have 16 straight wins!

Read in Bengali