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NEW DELHI: ‘Tigers at home and lambs abroad’. This was how the Indian cricket team was referred to in the late 1990s.
But when Sourav Ganguly was made the captain after the match-fixing scandal in 2000, India started to change their image of poor travellers.
The emergence of the ‘Fab Five’ batting unit played a key role as India started to win matches abroad, especially in Test cricket.
By the time India toured England for a four-match Test series in 2002, a lot had changed.
Rahul Dravid had evolved into “The Wall,” and Sachin Tendulkar‘s batting had become more measured than it had ever been.
VVS Laxman had arrived with his ‘281’, Ganguly was flaying more but driving less through the offside, and Virender Sehwag had demonstrated his explosive opening skills.
For all the years they have played together, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly scored hundreds in the same Test only once.
Against England in 2002, India went down in the first Test at Lord’s but the Dravid-Tendulkar-Ganguly combine saved them in Nottingham.
In fact, the second Test at Nottingham could have seen Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly scoring centuries in India second innings but after Dravid’s 115, Tendulkar and Ganguly fell for 92 and 99 respectively.
But what didn’t happen at Nottingham, occurred in the third Test at Headingley, Leeds.
India batted after winning the toss under overcast skies. Sehwag fell for 8, but Dravid first added 170 runs with Sanjay Bangar (68) for the second wicket and then put up a 150-run stand with Tendulkar.
Dravid hit 23 fours before falling for a meticulous 148 and his dismissal brought Indian captain Ganguly to the crease and then he and Tendulkar both cut loose, flaying the England bowling attack to all parts of the ground.
Both Tendulkar and Ganguly hit three sixes each in their knocks that were also studded with 19 and 14 fours respectively in a partnership of 335 runs for the fourth wicket.
Tendulkar fell for 193 and Ganguly was dismissed for 128 as India declared their first innings at 628/8 – their highest team total at Headingley, beating the 510 made in 1967.
Later the Indian spinners came to the party to script a memorable victory by an innings and 46 runs.
But when Sourav Ganguly was made the captain after the match-fixing scandal in 2000, India started to change their image of poor travellers.
The emergence of the ‘Fab Five’ batting unit played a key role as India started to win matches abroad, especially in Test cricket.
By the time India toured England for a four-match Test series in 2002, a lot had changed.
Rahul Dravid had evolved into “The Wall,” and Sachin Tendulkar‘s batting had become more measured than it had ever been.
VVS Laxman had arrived with his ‘281’, Ganguly was flaying more but driving less through the offside, and Virender Sehwag had demonstrated his explosive opening skills.
For all the years they have played together, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly scored hundreds in the same Test only once.
Against England in 2002, India went down in the first Test at Lord’s but the Dravid-Tendulkar-Ganguly combine saved them in Nottingham.
In fact, the second Test at Nottingham could have seen Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly scoring centuries in India second innings but after Dravid’s 115, Tendulkar and Ganguly fell for 92 and 99 respectively.
But what didn’t happen at Nottingham, occurred in the third Test at Headingley, Leeds.
India batted after winning the toss under overcast skies. Sehwag fell for 8, but Dravid first added 170 runs with Sanjay Bangar (68) for the second wicket and then put up a 150-run stand with Tendulkar.
Dravid hit 23 fours before falling for a meticulous 148 and his dismissal brought Indian captain Ganguly to the crease and then he and Tendulkar both cut loose, flaying the England bowling attack to all parts of the ground.
Both Tendulkar and Ganguly hit three sixes each in their knocks that were also studded with 19 and 14 fours respectively in a partnership of 335 runs for the fourth wicket.
Tendulkar fell for 193 and Ganguly was dismissed for 128 as India declared their first innings at 628/8 – their highest team total at Headingley, beating the 510 made in 1967.
Later the Indian spinners came to the party to script a memorable victory by an innings and 46 runs.
