The greatest Test innings by Indian batsmen post-2000 that wasn't a century

The stalwarts of the Indian cricket team in the post-2000 era

**4. VVS Laxman 73* vs Australia, Mohali, 2010**

4th Innings specialist and Aussie nightmare VVS Laxman at it again

The first of the two match Test series in the Border Gavaskar trophy saw both teams pile on 400 plus scores with Australia gaining a slender lead of 23. By the end of day 4, the pitch had deteriorated and Australia set India a tough target of 216 on a crumbling Mohali pitch.

Sensing a rare victory in India, the Aussies reduced Team India to 124-8 and thereby all but finishing hopes of an Indian victory. What followed then was a script that the mighty Aussies must have been all too familiar with.

Crisis specialist, VVS Laxman yet again tamed the Kangaroos by shepherding the tail and scoring with ridiculous ease in the most impossible of situations earning India a win by 1 wicket.

Laxman went on to score an unbeaten 73 while playing with the final two batsmen Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha. In the process, he not only ensured India won the 1st Test but also by the looks of it demolished Australia's will, resulting in India riding the momentum to win the second test and the series 2-0.

Once again, VVS Laxman stood between the Australians and a series victory.

About the author

Venkatesh has been writing cricket news, listicle and feature articles for Sportskeeda for over a year. He loves cricket because of the diversity of the playing fields and its unparalleled nuances, which no other sport presents. He also enjoys the analytical and quantitative side of the sport, which originates from his MBA degree and 10 years of experience in the IT industry in companies like Infosys, Atos and TCS.

Venkatesh ensures proper research from reliable sources and social media trends to gather information, and adds his own dash of creativity to create insightful content.

He started watching cricket in the late 1990s, having been impressed with South Africa and New Zealand’s gentleman-like attitude. Domestically, he supports the Chennai Super Kings for their ability to bring the best out of their players owing to a friendly and conducive team environment.

He admires three cricketers the most – Brian Lara for his batting style, AB de Villiers for changing the paradigm of batting and MS Dhoni for his unique cerebral approach to field placings and batting. Along with cricket, Venkatesh also enjoys watching and playing tennis and basketball. In his free time, he finds pleasure in singing and watching movies and web series.

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Edited by Amar Anand