da betsson： There was once a man who said “cricket’s a funny game.” If indeed thatis true, and a truer statement you cannot hope to hear, then VVSLaxman was the master comedian at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on thefourth day of the second Test
Anand Vasu14-Mar-2001There was once a man who said “cricket’s a funny game.” If indeed thatis true, and a truer statement you cannot hope to hear, then VVSLaxman was the master comedian at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on thefourth day of the second Test. Making a chanceless unbeaten 275,Laxman put smiles on the faces of thousands of spectators. RahulDravid, whose image took a bit of a beating in the press recently,emerged as a potent force making an unbeaten 155. No wickets were loston the day, 335 runs were scored, not a single catch given and ninebowlers were used. Tell Steve Waugh that cricket is a funny game. Oneis sure he won’t see the humour in the situation.To fully appreciate the magnitude of the day’s proceedings, one wouldhave to be one of 50,000 odd people crammed into the stands at theEden Gardens. But that is not a privilege everyone was blessed with. Alook at the records that fell will tell a story of it’s own. Laxman’s275 not out is the highest ever score by an Indian in the history ofTest cricket. When he surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s mark of 236, whichthe little master made against the fearsome West Indies at Chennaimore than 17 years ago, there was a colossal roar in the stands. Inthe press box however, there was a hush in some sections, as many oldtimers were visibly saddened by the fact that Gavaskar’s record hadfallen.The partnership between Dravid and Laxman, an unbeaten 357 thus far,easily bettered the highest partnership for India for the fifthwicket. The previous best for the same wicket was 214, betweenMohammed Azharuddin and Ravi Shastri against England in 1984-85. Thepartnership is also the highest for any wicket by an Indian pairagainst Australia, beating the 298 (unbroken) for the sixth wicketthat Dilip Vengsarkar and Ravi Shastri put together in the 1986-87series. Laxman’s score is also the highest score by any batsman at theEden Gardens, surpassing the 256 made by the great Rohan Kanhai in the1958-59 series.Phew.That is a lot of records to tumble in one day. And to be sure, this isnot the end of it. Tomorrow, when Laxman (275 not out, 438 balls, 44fours) and Dravid (155 not out, 318 balls, 18 fours) come back, morerecords will fall. John Edrich’s record of 52 boundaries in hisinnings of 310 against New Zealand in 1965 is under severe threat. Butenough said about statistics.Today was one of those days when every pressman in the Eden Gardensfelt like abandoning his seat and rushing out to the join thechanting, hooting, yelling crowds. With Tendulkar gone, it was timefor some of the other batsmen in the Indian team to stand up and becounted. The manner in which Laxman and Dravid destroyed the high ofthe 16 win on the trot Australians was a sight to be seen. The EdenGardens as a venue lends itself supremely well to the big occasion.The atmosphere is that of a bull ring rather than a quiet cricketground. There’s no Long Room, there are no WG Grace Gates and there isno Father Time on the weather vane looking down at a match inprogress. This is as different from Lord’s as you can possibly get.And yet, the place inspires a sense of history and draws on a greatwell of human emotions. Steve Waugh was the first to acknowledge thatwhen he made his century. Dravid today let go a great deal more onreaching his hundred than he normally does. If waving the bat at thedressing room and crowds was not enough, the Karnataka batsmanspecifically gestured to the press box. The young man was obviouslyupset by something written earlier. Today, he let his bat do thetalking.Spearheaded by Laxman, India have made one of the most dramaticrecoveries in Test cricket. From being down and nearly out, India arenow 589/4, leading by 315 with one day’s play left. With the pitchplaying more true than Robin Hood’s straightest arrow, India will beguarded against making a premature declaration. While Laxman marchestowards becoming the first Indian to see 300 against his name in aTest scorecard, Dravid will be asked to accelerate the scoring firstthing in the morning. Perhaps in the middle of the first session, theIndian captain might decide to let his bowlers have a go at theAussies. When he does so, anything can happen.However, Laxman will sleep soundly today, in the knowledge that he hasmade the number three slot his own for some time to come. What willinspire the soundest sleep however, is the fact that Laxman has, inone stroke, singlehandedly revived India’s sagging fortunes and gone along way in ending Australia’s long run of victories.