SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2021 (PAGE 4) 'Final frontier' Vs 'The unbreakables' India has traditionally been at the receiving end of some heavy Waugh Brothers ever is that never before has the team won a test series and that too in one of defeats in Australia. Hence, the achievement of the Class of 2021 at Man-to-man, India, except for the most difficult places on earth, with a team ravaged by injuries, pandemic- Brisbane is every bit as remarkable as the Class of 2001 at Eden Sachin Tendulkar, was hardly a induced lockdowns, bio-bubbles and suffocating restrictions. Only two players Gardens in Kolkata. This was India's best-ever win in one of the match for the rampaging Aussies. An played all four tests-Captain Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. India ended up using a never before figure of 20 players for the four tests. On top of most difficult places on earth, with a team ravaged by injuries, illustration of this-while Adam Gilchrist, who redefined the cricket- it, Virat Kohli was absent in the final matches. pandemic-induced lockdowns, bio-bubbles and suffocating restric- ing lexicon for a wicketkeeper-bats- Prem Kohli tions. The way India snatched a memorable victory from the jaws man, wielded the gloves for the In the early hours of December 19, 2006, 54- of certain defeat will remain etched in our memories forever, writes Aussies, the corresponding slot for year-old Prem Kohli unexpectedly passed away SUNIL FERNANDES. India was held by Sameer Dighe. due to cardiac arrest. His untimely death would Sameer who, you may ask. Exactly my have never found its way in this article but for the point. fact that his 18-year-old son was playing a Ranji Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath Trophy match for Delhi and was on 40 not out The first test in Mumbai got over overnight, battling to save his team against in three days despite Tendulkar top- Karnataka, the second greatest team in the history scoring for India in both innings. The of the Ranji Trophy after Bombay. brash, aggressive and at times, pro- Huge Potential fane, Aussies became, well, more brash aggressive and profane. Kohli's son, Virat, keeping aside his immense personal grief, took the field Staring at Humiliation for his team a few hours later and went to score a fighting 90. Fifteen years later, he had accomplished almost everything and more that a batsman can For more than half of the second test at Kolkata, India was staring at a big- hope to achieve in international ger humiliation than the one they suffered in the previous test at Mumbai. cricket. He is now the world's After being made to "follow-on", India in their second innings ended Day 3 20 best batsman and the captain of runs behind the Aussie first innings total. The Aussies were licking their fin- the Indian Men's cricket team. gers at completing the formalities on Day 4, knocking India out in double Under his watch, India are shot quick time to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy and with it conquered the out for their lowest-ever score in "Final Frontier". its nearly 80-year-test history The Indian cricket team's remarkable win at the recent Brisbane test has Then the unprecedented and unthinkable happened (36, Adelaide, first Test). But unlike his earlier 18-year ver- opened up a veritable debate among cricket romantics-is this the greatest test VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid batted the whole of Day 4, with a delectable sion, the superstar-captain match win ever for India. Till now, the Kolkata test match of 2001 against the mix of controlled aggression and watchful defence, hitting legendary bowlers Aussies was considered India's finest cricketing hour. Twenty years later, decides to go on "paternity like Warne and McGrath to all corners of the park, as if they were a pair of leave" despite the drubbing in Brisbane rises as a credible challenger to Kolkata. amiable, amateur Sunday League bowlers, to turn the match, series and his- the first test. In India's super- The Aussies came calling for a three-test series in March 2001. Unlike their tory on its head. Laxman's 281 (I still consider this as the best test innings I star fawning culture, no one tells him that as the captain, he is the "Pater- 2020-2021 counterparts, the 2001 Aussie team were the world champions. Its have ever watched) and Dravid's 180 propelled India and set a target of 372 Familias" of the entire team. As Kohli boarded the plane back to India and was captain, Steve Waugh, is still considered to be the gold standard in cricketing for the Aussies to win the test match on Day 5. not to return for the rest of the remaining three matches, the Aussies made courage. He was resilient, dogged and extremely proud of the "Baggy Green" VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid dire doomsday predictions-if with Virat India scores a measly 36, then with- Aussie test cap. Under him, the Aussies had embarked on an era of global A very young Harbhajan out him, the team does not have a prayer. domination, which commenced with a bang during their home series against Singh (leading the spin Pakistan in 1999. Two years and 15 straight test wins on a trot later, Waugh 18-year-old Virat Kohli and present-day Virat Kohli attack in the absence of his declared that India was their "Final Frontier". more accomplished senior The first choice of 11 was almost obliterated by injuries. The players who Difficult Conditions partner Anil Kumble who took the field in the last two tests at Sydney and Brisbane weren't in the reck- was injured) took over oning to play a single match when the tour had commenced. Yet, with this As with most of the teams touring India, the Aussies too found the condi- where Laxman/Dravid left. group of debutantes and the walking wounded, Captain Rahane wins the sec- tions notoriously difficult to win test matches. They hadn't won a Test series He had already become the ond test at Melbourne, snatches a precious draw from certain defeat in in India for more than three decades. Waugh wanted to set this record straight first Indian ever to take a Sydney, did one better in the last test at Brisbane, and snatches a memorable victory from the jaws of certain defeat. and also challenge the West Indies team of the 1980s and Don Bradman's hat trick in tests. India won India had never ever won at the Gabba and Aussies had last lost there in 1948 "Invincibles". The astute captain was aware that recognition would not the Kolkata test in the last 1988 when most of our Facebook-Instagram generation wasn't even born! come his way unless he was able to conquer India in India. Hence, it was the hour of the last day and "Final Frontier". went on to win the last test Indian team after winning Gabba Test The Class of 2001 had some all-time Aussie greats who could have waltzed in Chennai in similar nail- India has traditionally been at the receiving end of some heavy defeats in into any country's team. Shane Warne, Glen McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Adam biting circumstances. So from the brink of the ignominy of being blanked out Australia. Prior to the 2018 series, India won a measly six tests while losing 28 Gilchrist, Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden and the Waugh twins-Steve and 0-3 by the Aussies, India won 2-1 against not only the world champions but tests to the Aussies in Australia since their first tour in 1947-48. Hence, the Mark-whose nickname in his early days was "Afghanistan" aka the "Forgotten also one of the best teams in history. achievement of the Class of 2021 is every bit as remarkable and significant as War" or the "Forgotten Waugh" as the Aussies would pronounce it. Unlike his Quite a Challenge the Class of 2001. Personally, the Eden Gardens test of Kolkata 2001 still older twin Steve, Mark Waugh had to endure lengthy spells on the fringes Comparatively, the present Aussie team under Tim Paine is not a patch on remains my sentimental favourite. But Brisbane 2021 is a close second and I before he became a permanent and legendary fixture in the team, hence the Waugh's team of 2001. But the reason why this series and the Brisbane test am every bit grateful for cathartic life-long fond memories. nickname. can justifiably challenge the 2001 series and the Kolkata test as India's best (The author is an Advocate-on-Record, practicing in the Supreme Court of India. Views are personal.) Inside Team Room Wear that 36 all out like a badge, R Sridhar recalls 'Raviship' and more e "aged 10 years in about one hour" thanks to Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar. Team India's long-serving Hfielding coach R Sridhar was in the thick of things as side battled adversity after adversity before their "unreal" Test series win over a mighty Australia. And in an exclusive conversation with PTI, he opened up about the emotional roller-coaster that the tour was. "When Rishabh and Washy (Washington Sundar) were batting, I wasn't able to cope up with tension," Sridhar said after reaching his home in Hyderabad, still trying to calm the nerves after that surreal final day in Brisbane. "My heart rate was 120 on fitness app and couldn't help telling Rohit that main ek ghante mein 10 saal buddha ho gaya," he joked.