'Australia? They couldn't believe what India were doing to them...': Ganguly fires salvo recalling historic series

Any discussion about the India vs Australia rivalry is incomplete without mentioning the 2001 series, the second Test match at the Eden Gardens in particular. As the great rivals start another chapter in their glorious history with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 starting in Nagpur on Thursday, former India captain Sourav Ganguly recalled fond memories of the historic series that has become a part of Indian cricket's folklore.

Australia had extended their immaculate winning streak in Test cricket by beating India in the first Test in Mumbai by 10 wickets. The fact that the Test match ended within three days put the writing on the wall for the outcome of the three-match series. But India made a comeback for the ages.

Australia dominated the first two days of the second Test. After putting 445 on the board in the first inning riding on the back of a brilliant century from their captain Steve Waugh, Australia bowled India out for 171. India could not post a total in excess of 250 in the three innings that they batted in the series. India's poor run of form and the confidence in his bowling unit prompted Australia captain Steve Waugh to enforce the follow-on.

INDIA VS AUSTRALIA LIVE SCORE 1st TEST

The Test match, however, started to turn slowly but surely from the third day. India put up a much better show with the bat in the second innings but they were still far of from any possibility of winning when captain Ganguly walked back to the hut two short of a half-century with India's scoreboard reading 232 for 4. They still needed about 40 runs to avoid an innings defeat.

That's when Rahul Dravid joined hands with VVS Laxman. Before this, there was a crucial change in India's batting order. Laxman was the only Indian batter who got success in the first innings and hence, was promoted to No.3 instead of Dravid, who slid down to No.6. The move did wonders as both the batters stitched a partnership that is still about with equal enthusiasm in many parts of India.

"The greatest partnership in cricket's history... On the fourth day, we lost no wickets and scored 335 runs. Rahul and VVS took drips after returning to the dressing room at the end of the day's play. They lost a lot of fluids after batting through the entire day. But tiredness didn't stop Rahul and VVS. They kept on fighting," Ganguly wrote for Bengali daily Sangbad Pratidin.

Laxman smashed the then-highest score by an Indian in Test cricket with his 281-run marathon. Dravid put on 180. Their partnership was a staggering 376 runs for the fifth wicket.

Harbhajan Singh came into the act again as India bowled out Australia on Day 5 win a historic Test match.

"And Australia? They couldn't believe what India were doing to them. When Harbhajan trapped Glenn McGrath LBW, the Eden Gardens exploded. That expression of emotions was infectious. It gave a new lease of life to Indian cricket. Our team had achieved something rare, which hasn't been replicated yet. We proved that Australia can be beaten," Ganguly wrote.

India then went on to beat Australia again in the third Test in Chennai to win the series 2-1.

"We went to Chennai to play the last Test with a lot of confidence. But we knew Australia would be at its fearsome best there. I told the team to play their best cricket because the world has seen what happens when we play at our best. Matthew Hayden was playing the best cricket of his life. It was important to get him out early. But the main thing was to bat well and put them under pressure. We did that and won the series 2-1.

"That 2001 series undoubtedly was the best of my life. That victory matured me as a leader. The team believed that they could win in any situation anywhere in the world," the former BCCI president added.