Now Reading: 25 years of India’s epic 2001 Test series win over Australia
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25 years of India’s epic 2001 Test series win over Australia
The year 2001 marked a historic Test series win for India against Australia, a triumph that transcended cricket. Coming just months after the match-fixing scandal shattered public trust in the sport, India's…
The year 2001 marked a historic Test series win for India against Australia, a triumph that transcended cricket. Coming just months after the match-fixing scandal shattered public trust in the sport, India's 2-1 victory over Steve Waugh's seemingly invincible Australians restored faith among fans. The Australians arrived on a 15-Test winning streak and crushed India by 10 wickets in Mumbai to extend it to 16 matches.
India's turnaround began in the second Test at Eden Gardens. Trailing by 274 runs after being forced to follow on, V.V.S. Laxman and Rahul Dravid added 376 runs. Laxman scored 281 and Dravid 180, setting up a 171-run win with Harbhajan Singh taking a hat-trick and six wickets. In the Chennai decider, India won by two wickets to seal the series 2-1.
Indian Opinion Analysis
This series remains a benchmark for Indian cricket's resilience. The 2001 victory was more than a sporting achievement, it rehabilitated the national team's image after the fixing scandal that had eroded fan trust. Today, most bilateral series outside the Ashes and India-Australia contests are limited to two Tests, meaning a 1-1 draw would have been the anticlimactic result had the third Test in Chennai not been scheduled. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) now prioritises five-Test series only against England and Australia, a structural shift from the era when three-Test series were standard for tours to India.
Source: thehindu.com
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