VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid share a chat in the dressing room during the Eden Test. (Getty Images) Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman forged a series-defining partnership in the Eden Gardens Test to script one of cricket’s greatest turnarounds. Speaking to TOI, the former India captain reflects on the tactical challenges, the marathon stand and how the win proved to be a turning point for Indian cricket.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!How did your form lead to The Eden Test?It was disjointed to be honest. I scored in the series against Zimbabwe to lead into this Australian series. I had a few runs in domestic cricket. So I felt pretty good from that point of view. In the first Test in Mumbai, I batted long on in the second innings but got to Shane Warne. The same thing happened in the first innings at Eden. But in the context of the series, there was so much hype and noise around it that I almost felt like I was really out of shape. I didn’t actually score runs in three innings.Given all that, was it strange that the hundred came off Warne’s bowling?Warne was a phenomenal bowler and an absolute legend of the game. There were times when I felt like he had the wood on me because I didn’t really put up any big scores against him. Against bowlers like him, you want to get big scores, so I felt good that I could score runs and play him as well as I did.What was your reaction when you were told you would have to bat at number 6 in the second innings?It was John Wright and Sourav Ganguly’s decision. They came up to me and asked what I thought about it. It seemed quite reasonable as Laxman batted beautifully in the first innings. It made sense to put a guy who was in form ahead of me at that stage. It felt a little strange because it was just a couple of low-scoring innings for me, so I wondered if we overreacted. But the conversation was about putting a little bit of pressure back on the Australians and I realized that maybe that was the best thing I could do. And it turned out brilliantly. You had some amazing partnerships with Laxman.I have always enjoyed batting alongside Laxman because firstly he is a fantastic player and a great batsman to watch. So you have a really good place in the house. He didn’t get confused or bothered by too many things. We played a lot of cricket together for the South Zone and also some junior cricket. We would communicate a little, but we are not like big talkers in the middle. So it suited my game as well. He was one of those players who could play the whole wicket and there didn’t seem to be any type of bowling that could trouble him. So when you’re firing alongside a player like him, it gives you confidence and belief.You batted for 446 minutes with Laxman. What routine did you follow?I had a personal routine that I followed before every delivery, which was just two taps of the bat and moving my legs in a certain way. I took a few breaths and sometimes I said to myself, ‘Watch the ball.’ Laxman had his own routine and liked to draw a lot of lines on the field and tap the bat. Sometimes I would pull his leg and not get the bat out to tap and he would get a little grumpy about it.Was your reaction after getting the ton directed at someone in the press box? People have never seen you react like this…That’s a bit of an exaggeration. I think there was a lot of pressure on me in some ways. You can’t really respond to everything people say. I understand it better now because I’m a bit wiser, more mature and have seen a slice of life in 25 years. But I honestly felt there was a lot of negativity and a lot of criticism around the team, which was a bit unnecessary at that stage. Also, some of the criticism directed at me was a little unwarranted. I only went three innings without scoring. I was young and I felt the pressure. As a young man fighting for his place in the side – for his career and the team – you don’t always have the maturity to fully understand the situation. I’m happy enough to admit 25 years later that I may have let things get to me that I shouldn’t have. But it wasn’t meant for anyone in particular. It was a relief and a release from the pressure I felt. Whatever my reputation, I have always been human.What was the talk in the locker room like after each session?It was about continuing to put pressure on them. Just being in the moment and not trying to think too far ahead. We didn’t even think about winning until the last part of the fifth day. We actually had to bat for a while the next day and we rolled them out. The runs we scored in the second innings (657/7 decl.) were in some ways a backhanded compliment to the Aussies because they were such a strong team that we believed we had to put so many runs on the board.Is the statement late?People felt that way. There can always be different opinions on this. But the mindset in the team was to put them under pressure to defend rather than attack and never force us to push players back in the field. Having a man around the bat all the time created constant pressure and consequently chances. If we had given them at least a little chance to attack, the game could have been completely different.What was the faith on day 5?There was a certain belief because we knew the ball was being held low and the goal was turning. Harbhajan Singh bowled beautifully and was at the top of his game.While you, Laxman and Harbhajan were the lead actors, there were other heroes too…Some people have really made an incredible impact. Sachin’s wickets were absolutely critical after tea on the fifth day. We don’t get those wickets often and especially getting Adam Gilchrist out was a huge task. Venky’s (Venkatesh Prasad) 42 runs with Laxman in the first innings, (Sadagopan) Ramesh’s catches were all crucial. Also a really good Captain Sourav. He also got a decisive 48 in the second innings. It felt like a total team effort. But of course, when you have a couple of big shows like that, then people tend to recognize and remember only youDid the Paradise Test make captains wary of enforcing follow-ups?I think that’s true. In some ways I wasn’t surprised Australia gave us a sequel. After the Eden Test, I think in some ways you started to see teams being more cautious about going forward. Teams were a little more cautious in pushing follow-up events, especially in subcontinental conditions. I think we started doing less of that. I think as an Indian team, we’ve started to realize that maybe there’s no need to push the follow-on so much when you’ve got so much time left in the game. Time is of the essence in these matters. I think people looked at the sequel differently after that test.What did the Eden Test do to Indian cricket?It did a lot because it gave us some stability. John Wright was our first foreign coach and there was some doubt and criticism about whether it would work and what might happen. If we hadn’t won the series, I couldn’t answer what could have happened. But there would definitely be pressure on the whole team. But the fact that we were able to win this series and play very good cricket gave us a bit of breathing space as a group. It also allowed us to build from there and point the team in a certain direction. Even without this win, I believe Indian cricket would have eventually reached where it needed to go. But it could have taken a little longer. This win also started a phase where we started winning odd Tests and series abroad.Did you keep any souvenirs from this test?I have the bat tucked away somewhere and a few other souvenirs.Twenty-five years, is it like a lifetime?People keep reminding me of shifts. I always appreciate that because I think people somehow remember what they were doing back then. For me, it’s really nice because it makes me feel like I could be a part of someone’s memory for doing something that’s expected of me, which is just part of my job.Where would you rank the wins in your career?I’ve probably hit better in other tougher situations and there have been other shots that have been better in terms of just the satisfaction of hitting. But in the context of everything that’s happened and what it’s done for Indian cricket and for so many of our careers, I’d definitely say it’s up there.At the start of Day 2, Australia were 291/8. But Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie let India down with a big partnership adding 133 runs for the 9th wicket. After Waugh’s dismissal for 110, Gillespie and Glenn McGrath shared 43 runs for the last wicket. The last two wickets contributed 176, taking Australia from 269/8 to 445.
