‘VVS Laxman scored 281 with my bat’: Venkatapathy Raju on epic Eden Gardens knock

I was making a comeback after nearly two years and everything around the team had changed: the fitness levels, the attitude and the mindset.

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I still remember the evening after Australia enforced the follow-on. National selector Madan Lal asked us to keep fighting. Laxman then said something that surprised me. He said, “We might win this.” At that stage it felt hard to imagine, but he had the belief.

Rahul Dravid came in at No. 6, while Laxman moved up the order. The decision came after discussions between coach John Wright and captain Sourav Ganguly. It turned out to be a smart move.




Laxman and Dravid had known each other for years, from their South Zone and U-19 days. Once they settled in, the way they batted for an entire day and completely changed the game.



Inside the dressing room there was tension. One wicket and the tail would be exposed. But the way they batted kept us alive. Australia, meanwhile, were so used to winning that they weren’t really playing for a draw. That made things difficult for them.

That series belonged largely to Harbhajan Singh. But Sachin Tendulkar’s spell on Day 5 was crucial. He had the experience of bowling under pressure — like the famous last over in the Hero Cup in 1993 — and he delivered again when the team needed it.

ALSO READ: ‘Playing for India, mind becomes stronger than the body’: VVS Laxman recounts his epic Eden knock

Laxman’s innings was extraordinary. He was coming down the track to Shane Warne and hitting him even against the spin. That confidence came from years of playing domestic cricket on turning tracks in Hyderabad.

For me, the Kolkata Test was special because it turned out to be my last game. Getting the wicket of Mark Waugh made it even more memorable. It was the perfect farewell.

More importantly, that Test transformed Indian cricket. It gave the team belief that we could fight back from any situation and win. There’s another small personal memory: the bat Laxman used to score that famous 281 was actually mine. So, in a small way, that was my contribution to that historic knock.

(The former India left-arm spinner spoke to Vishal Menon)
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