Laxman’s 281 greatest innings by an Indian: Dravid

NEW DELHI: Rahul Dravid called VVS Laxman’s famous innings of 281 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens against Australia in March 2001 the greatest innings by an Indian.

“You know I sometimes tell people, and I really mean this: I really had the best seat in the house for the greatest Indian innings ever played… it was absolutely phenomenal to watch,” said Dravid at the launch of Laxman’s autobiography ‘281 and Beyond’ in Bengaluru.

Dravid, who himself scored a brilliant 180 that game, came in to bat when India were four down and with Laxman at the other end. Together they made the Australia bowlers toil. Their brilliant 376-run partnership helped India seal a memorable 171-run win.

“I wasn’t playing particularly well in that series to start off with, but just watching him play gave me a lot of confidence. It was a magical day,” said Dravid.

Laxman’s favourite knock, though, is not the 281, but the one in Sydney when he scored a fighting 167 from 198 balls in a losing cause as Australia defeated the visitors heavily by an innings and 141 runs.

“Strangely, it (the 281 at Eden Gardens) did not change my life. The 167 against Australia (at the Sydney Cricket Ground) did,” Laxman said at a separate event. “That was my first Test hundred. I had always doubted my abilities before I got my first hundred.

“The manner in which I got my hundred against a top quality bowling attack in conditions favourable to them.... My approach changed after that game,” he explained.

Anil Kumble, meanwhile, hailed Laxman and Dravid’s efforts in Adelaide in 2003. “I didn’t get the opportunity to watch them live (in Kolkata), and I was hoping it would happen again,” he said.

“And it happened very quickly, in Adelaide (in 2003). The one thing that kept coming back to my mind was, ‘I hope this is a partnership like Kolkata because I want to watch this’, and they put on 300-plus again.” India won that game by four wickets, for rare success in Australia.