Eight iconic images that defined cricket in India

#4 VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid acknowledging the cheer of the Kolkata crowd in 2001

Laxman and Dravid after their phenomenal knock

This Test match would easily go down as one of the best ever Test matches to have been played in the entire history of cricket. It was only for the third time (in 1535 Test matches played till then) that a team had won after being asked to follow-on.

The opponents were the Australians and the venue was the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. “He has given him, he has given him. Umpire Bansal has given him. It’s the end of the match. India have won in dramatic style. The whole of Bengal are on their feet,” were the words of commentator Tony Greg in his trademark captivating style.

Now there are many images that a fan would have taken away from this match. There was a hat-trick from Harbhajan Singh (incidentally India’s first hat-trick in Test matches) and also a good spell of bowling from Sachin on the final day. But the one image which left a lasting impression, not only on this match but Indian cricket as a whole, was that of a satisfied VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid with towels tied around their necks.

The duo added 335 runs on day 4 during India’s second innings when they were following on. India eventually declared on 657 for the loss of 7 wickets and set the Australians a challenging target of 384 runs. The Australians were bowled out for 212 courtesy a six-wicket haul by Harbhajan.

Dravid summarised the importance of this match in Indian cricket perfectly when he said, “The foundation (of a formidable team) was laid, but it’s not that we became brilliant overnight. The process, however, started at the Eden.”