Indian cricket was going through a turbulent time at the start of the 21st century. The match-fixing scandal had shaken the faith of the fans while India were struggling to win both at home and away. The unbeaten Australian team under the leadership of Steve Waugh landed in India during that period. The next few days of Test cricket defined the future of India in red-ball cricket. Rahul Dravid, who played a key role in that game recently revealed what spurred him to perform better in the last day of the match.
Notably, Dravid along with VVS Laxman stitched together a partnership that would change the course of not only the match but also Indian cricket. They added 376-run partnership for the fifth wicket was the third-best in Test history for that wicket helping India stage a target of 384 runs.
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Laxman amassed 281 runs while Rahul Dravid departed for 180. Harbhajan Singh picked 6/73 as Australia collapsed to 212 all out to give India victory by 171 runs and level the series which brought a revolution in Indian cricket. But Dravid credited the overwhelming participation of the crowd as the unique factor for their historic win at the Eden Gardens.
“The atmosphere on the last day, after tea, the time when we were trying to take wickets,” Dravid said on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports. “Harbhajan Singh was bowling and wickets were falling. The support from the crowd was incredible. The crowd at Eden Gardens helped us win the 2001 Kolkata Test. That support, encouragement and cheer after every ball, I remember it till now and I can still feel that,” he added.
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Speaking further on that game, Rahul Dravid said it was the period when the crowd really got behind the Indian team. He also pointed out that Test match as one of the memorable incidents of his career.
“There are not many things I remember about my career, but one of the occasions was after tea, the atmosphere and intensity at the ground, that’s why it’s great to see a full stadium here at Eden Gardens,” Dravid signed off.
