On the 25th anniversary of India’s biggest-ever Test win against Australia at the Eden Gardens in 2001, RevSportz takes us on a spectacular revival of the joyous memory. The modern heights of Indian cricket are a reflection of the determination and patience of its cricketers over the years.
Today India is the world champion in ICC tournaments, but at one time this team was not even considered a major rival among the giants of the game. However, over the years, Indian players have poured their hearts out, demonstrating their authority in the game.
25 years ago, India won one of its most historic Test matches against one of the best Test teams in the world during that time. They defeated the mighty Australian team at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and in that game some of the Indian players played their most memorable Test innings.
“What a dressing room it was, what a time it was,” Boria Majumdar reminds Harbhajan Singh of golden era
RevSports organized Trailblazers 4.0 at ITC Sonar with former Indian cricketers Venkatesh Prasad, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, who were part of a different generation of cricket for India. He was part of the phase when India was rebuilding its team.
At the beginning of the program, as the guests stood up and greeted the cricketers, the show’s host and RevSportz editor-in-chief Boria Majumdar whispered in Harbhajan Singh’s ear: “What a dressing room, what a time.”
Turbunator immediately replied, “I thought about saying this during the session. Boria Majumdar once again enthralled the audience with his subtle yet charming speech as he praised the then Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and made him revisit those moments of 2001.
Former Indian stars reminisce about 2001 Eden Gardens glory
As the session gradually turned into a great event among the fans and players, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Venkatesh Prasad contributed immensely to it. During that match, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly was connected online.
Majumdar recalled one of VVS Laxman’s most acclaimed Test innings in that match at Eden Gardens and against an opponent whom the world feared but VVS considered the best to bat against. Rahul Dravid also supported the Indian number 3. During the middle phase, the duo contributed to a huge partnership in the game.
Not only the batsmen but also the bowlers performed remarkably. Not only did he do something special with the ball, but he also saved Sourav Ganguly from stepping down from the captaincy, which helped Team India as he was the main man behind India’s rebuilding which led them to win matches in future.
After losing the opening Test against Australia at Wankhede, defeat in this match would certainly be the end of Ganguly’s captaincy, and India would lose one of its most promising future players in international cricket.
Who is the greatest captain of India ever?
India’s greatest ever captain has been a never-ending debate, and statistics make it difficult for Indian fans to choose one of the memorable captains who have served Indian cricket.
However, Boria Majumdar points out that although the statistics are in favor of MS Dhoni in white-ball cricket, it was Sourav Ganguly who was clearly responsible for reshaping India’s future in the game as he showed faith in several youngsters like Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Ashish Nehra, Virender Sehwag and later MS Dhoni himself.
Majumdar also points out that the best captain is liked by his dressing room mates and the way they rate him. Citing former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh as an example, he claimed, “He (Ganguly) is the best captain under whom I have played.”
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