VVS Laxman is on this week's Greatest Game podcast series and he's talking about the one match that not only changed his career but also the tires of Indian Cricket.
The 281 at Eden Gardens against Steve Waugh's Australia.
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[00:00:00] India of 1, India of 1 in dramatic style, the third team in 1535 test matches to win a
[00:00:09] test after following on.
[00:00:12] 274 runs behind, following on and to end up on a winning note, you know, and I think
[00:00:17] it was definitely the best game and the most memorable match in my career.
[00:00:22] The whole of Bengal are on their feet.
[00:00:27] The series has been levelled.
[00:00:30] Yes, that Eden Gardens test is on this week's Greatest Game podcast and talking about one
[00:00:36] of India's greatest ever test victories is the man himself, VVS Lakshman.
[00:00:41] VVS 281 Lakshman.
[00:00:44] It was the second test of the three-match border guard with series.
[00:00:47] Australia had won the series opener and then in Kolkata posted a massive 445 in
[00:00:53] their first innings.
[00:00:54] This was Steve Wars Australia, unbeatable Australia.
[00:00:58] It was a Steve Wars, I feel one of the best sides I've ever played the game against Steve
[00:01:04] Wars Australian team was coming into India saying that there's the final frontier, winning
[00:01:09] 16 consecutive test matches and not only in Australia but all over the world they
[00:01:13] had great batsmen, impactful bowlers.
[00:01:17] But India had VVS Lakshman, bowled out for 171, India were made to follow on
[00:01:23] and on day three of the Eden Gardens test began a fight pack that would inspire generations
[00:01:28] of cricketers to come.
[00:01:30] Lakshman was set at the crease when Dravid walked in at 232 for four and the two stitched
[00:01:35] together a historic 376 run partnership.
[00:01:38] That was a very important partnership keeping in mind the context of the test match but
[00:01:43] more importantly both of us just encourage each other and it was great to see Rahul
[00:01:49] not even once showing any signs of disappointment.
[00:01:52] He was someone who was a regular number three batsman but in that second innings
[00:01:56] in Kolkata I was promoted at number three and Rahul had to bat at number six.
[00:02:00] So not even once was there any discontent, any disappointment on Rahul's face.
[00:02:06] All we tried to do was achieve our goal especially on the fourth day morning our
[00:02:10] goal was to bat the whole day.
[00:02:11] We didn't really think about our individual milestones we just thought about achieving
[00:02:15] that goal and end of each over all we tried to do was remind each other of the bigger goal
[00:02:21] we had.
[00:02:22] They batted the fourth day and reached the fifth as well.
[00:02:25] From 232 for four Lakshman and Dravid's never-ending stand caught India to 608
[00:02:31] before Lakshman was finally caught by Ponting on 281.
[00:02:35] All this in a match he wasn't even supposed to play.
[00:02:38] Three days before the start of the test match you know we had the first practice
[00:02:43] session and six or seven minutes into the next session suddenly I felt a lot of
[00:02:47] stiffness in my back.
[00:02:48] Andrew Leepers was our physio.
[00:02:50] I just told Andrew that you know I've got stiff back but I'm sure that I should
[00:02:54] be fine in two days time and then he asked me to look at the mirror and when
[00:02:58] I saw myself in the mirror and I was shell shocked to see that I had a
[00:03:04] list.
[00:03:05] List is nothing where your upper body is tilted towards one side while your lower
[00:03:09] half remains straight and I was shocked and I started crying and I was in tears
[00:03:14] and because that was the first time I was seeing something like that but Andrew
[00:03:19] really worked hard on my back for the next two days.
[00:03:22] We had at least five or six sessions a day and he made sure that I take the
[00:03:27] field and luckily we lost the toss, Australia elected to bat first and
[00:03:33] there was almost one and a half days before we started to bat.
[00:03:38] A 281 for the ages and innings that steered the path of not just that
[00:03:42] victory but the series as well which by the way India won 2-1.
[00:03:46] There was however the small matter of a triple century mist would have been
[00:03:50] the first by an Indian and a young man not many knew of back then laid his
[00:03:55] claim to the record not long after.
[00:03:58] After the 2001 test series against Australia we were playing the one
[00:04:00] day series and Viru was part of the one day team.
[00:04:05] We were having dinner together and there he told me Lakshman you had a great
[00:04:10] opportunity to become the first Indian to score a triple hundred unfortunately
[00:04:14] we were not able to achieve that but I will do that in my career and I'll
[00:04:17] become the first Indian to score triple hundred and I was I was shell shocked
[00:04:22] because Viru was not even a part or regular member in the one day team
[00:04:26] leave alone the test team and I was so proud and happy when he got to
[00:04:31] the milestone in MULTAR and which style.