Rahul Dravid recalls 2001 Kolkata Test while not favouring cricket being a 'TV-only' sport

Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid is widely regarded as one of the greatest Test batsmen of all time. The cricketer-turned-coach recently recalled the memorable 2001 Kolkata Test which saw India defeating Australia despite being asked to follow-on after the first innings. The match is highly remembered as one of the best Test matches of all-time and it forms a vital chapter in Indian cricketing folklore.

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Kolkata 2001: Rahul Dravid recalls historic Test, thanks crowd

In an appearance on Star Sports’ Kolkata 2001-Dravid & Laxman Special show, Rahul Dravid credited the jam-packed Eden Gardens crowd for helping India to script a memorable comeback victory. Speaking about the match, Dravid recalled events from Day 5 where a young Harbhajan Singh was spinning his way to an Indian win.  He also described the atmosphere on last day and the support from the crowd as “incredible”. Rahul Dravid further stated that he can still remember the feeling of winning the iconic Test match primarily due to the crowd.

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Interestingly, Rahul Dravid's appreciative comments towards the Kolkata crowd comes at the time when worldwide cricketing bodies are contemplating to host cricket matches behind closed doors, which the former batsmen doesn't seem to favour. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has already halted worldwide cricketing activities until further notice. 

A quick recap of Kolkata 2001 Test

India won the Kolkata 2001 Test match by 171 runs. The win is considered a memorable one because it was only the third instance in Test history where a team won in spite of following on. The match also witnessed an end to Australia’s 16-match domination and some Test cricket excellence from VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Harbhajan Singh.

Trailing by 274 runs after the first innings, VVS Laxman (281) and Rahul Dravid (180) were involved in a 376-run stand to take India to 657-7. While Australia were left with a target of 384 runs for victory, they folded out for just 212 on the final day. Harbhajan Singh was a wrecker-in-chief with the ball as India levelled the series at 1-1. Sourav Ganguly and co. also won the thrilling affair in Chennai a week later to claim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by a 2-1 margin.

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