Thread by @KShriniwasRao

#Thread
Rahul Dravid will address his first press conference as India coach on Wednesday from Jaipur, venue for first T20 vs New Zealand. Down south, VVS Laxman is getting ready to take charge as National Cricket Academy (NCA) director. Beginning of a fresh, new journey! (1/25)

Both are former India teammates, have been batting legends, and unsurprisingly, when you hear these two names in the same sentence, the first memory they evoke is of that famous partnership in Kolkata 20 years ago -- the historic 2001 Test vs Australia at the Eden Gardens. (2/25)

I have my own little story about that Test series. Funny, embarrassing, awe-inspiring, unbelievable. India lost the first Test in Mumbai inside three days & like most others, I thought we would suffer the same fate in Kolkata too. The Australians looked unstoppable. (3/25)

Dravid was going through a poor patch between October 1999 and November 2000. He had gone through 16 Test innings without a half-century. Despite getting a double hundred and a 162 against Zimbabwe at Delhi and Nagpur in November 2000, he was under pressure. (4/25)

VVS too was suffering poor form. Barring that classic, masterful second innings 167 on 1999-2000 tour of Australia at SCG -- his first Test ton -- VVS had gone for 33 Test innings already without a hundred. Both batsmen were reeling under some bit of pressure. (5/25)

I took the Mumbai-Howrah mail, hailed a cab upon arrival and left for Park Street, some 3 kms away from the Eden. Another young journalist -- he was covering his first Test series too -- and me became friends and we pooled in money to share a hotel room. (6/25)

We weren't even thinking about the third Test in Chennai. Should India lose in Kolkata, we decided we'd take a train to Siliguri, visit Darjeeling for a couple of days and go back to our respective cities. No way India was winning this Test match either. (7/25)

Australia won the toss again. They had won it in Mumbai, put India to bat first & ran through. This time they chose to bat first. Slater, Hayden, Langer, Waugh bros, Ponting, Gilly -- all in red hot form. I was 20 yrs younger, scared. Who can win against a team like this? (8/25)

Worries were justified. Australia finished Day 1 at 291-8 (eventual total 445). India finished Day 2 at 128-8 (eventually 171). VVS batted at No.6 & scored 59. The rest were listless. A deficit of 274 runs. Follow-on loomed. We began checking for tickets to Darjeeling. (9/25)

On morning of Day 3, me and my roommate checked out of the hotel room. Why pay for an extra day? We were 'smart'. We put our luggage in the room of another journalist & 'smartly' told him: "We've checked out. This match gets over today. Evening, we leave for Darjeeling. (10/25)

You couldn't have blamed that journalist for believing in us and letting us know that we were indeed being 'smart'. The Test match was over, wasn't it? With this thought in mind, we arrived at the Eden on the morning of Day 3. (11/25)

India went past their first 50 runs before a wicket fell; 2nd fell before reaching 100. Still 174-odd run deficit. This was going to be another embarrassment! VVS walked out at No.3, not Dravid. Why? Injured? Unwell? Oh god, only Darjeeling could make us feel better. (12/25)

We furiously began asking around how we could book our tickets, what was the best way to travel, where to stay in Darjeeling, etc etc. Two more wickets fell. VVS was nearing his hundred but then, so what? Dravid came out at No.6. What can they possibly do, we thought! (13/25)

India finished Day 3 at 254-4, still 20 runs short of Australia's first innings. We went back to the hotel where we had checked out from & requested to give us a room for another night. Darjeeling would have to wait for another day. We checked, where to eat good momos. (14/25)

Yawn! Day 4, we checked out again. Today Darjeeling for sure. Hot tea, momos, amazing weather. Wow... let's get over with this Test! VVS was batting on 109*; Dravid on 7*. We were getting slightly irritated with McGrath, Gillespie, Kasprowicz & Warne. This was so simple! (15/25)

Aussies took the new ball first thing in morning. C'mon Australia! India chugged to 300. Something wasn't right. It looked like VVS and Dravid knew about our Darjeeling plans. They just wouldn't budge. India reached 376-4 at lunch. VVS went past 150. Dravid reached 50. (16/25)

Arrrggggh! We ate lunch and found no taste in it. It was so frustrating. If we have to keep losing so badly all the time, why raise expectations! But wait, were we still losing this Test? 400, 450, 491 (at tea). I had never seen a more helpless McGrath ever! (17/25)

India went past 500. To hell with Darjeeling, we said. What are we witnessing here!! This was tastier than the momos, more pleasant than Darjeeling weather, as satisfying as Darjeeling tea. Spicy, sweet, exotic! India had batted 571 mins, 138 overs. (18/25)

VVS went past Sunil Gavaskar's 236. Dravid got his 9th Test hundred. Jagmohan Dalmiya -- then BCCI secretary -- came to press box. He was jubilant, dancing away. He announced cash prizes per four & six for both batsmen. "I'll be paying from my pocket," he cried in joy! (19/25)

VVS crossed 250. He was clearly going to become India's first triple centurion, we thought. Dravid got to 150. India finished Day 4 at 550-4. 645 mins, 155 overs. They were leading now by 276 runs. We rushed to the scorer. When had anything like this last happened? (20/25)

Once in 1894, once in 1981. Both times, Australia had enforced the follow-on and lost. The scorer -- God bless him (pls let me know if anyone remembers the name) -- had a long day at work. We went back to the hotel, bought ourselves a beer. Smiled like idiots. (21/25)

Day 5 began. Australia took new ball again. India reached 650 in 177.2 overs. Unlucky VVS didn't get a triple, Dravid missed a double. But India were winning this Test match, and nothing else mattered. Australia's 16-Test winning streak was going to end. Oh, Test cricket! (22/25)

Harbhajan Singh weaved magic. Australia went from 106-2 to 212 all out. Scripts got interchanged. Suddenly, India looked like Australia and Australia looked like India. Never ever ever will I forget what a packed Eden Gardens can look like -- one lac people going crazy! (23/25)

India won and me & my roommate realised we had planned for everything the last five days except how to travel to Chennai (for the 3rd Test). He opted out, and I was left to fend on my own. But did I want to be in Chennai? Oh yes, more than anything else in this world! (24/25)

I took the Coromandel Express from Kolkata -- 36 hours to Chennai. I travelled without reservation. March heat was killing. Nothing like what Darjeeling would've been like. But it was all so worth it. VVS & Dravid had made me fall in love with Test cricket all over again! (25/25)