‘I was born in Punjab but made in Kolkata’: Harbhajan on historic 2001 Eden Gardens Test

I was chatting with him a few days ago Matthew Hayden In Goa. I asked him, “Why did you hit that ball in the first innings at Eden Gardens?” It was in the second session of the first day and he was batting 97 and absolutely dominated us. Haydos said he was feeling confident and looked to score his century with a big shot – but luckily he was caught in the deep by Hemang Badani. This was our first small window of opportunity in that historic Test.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Let’s go back to what happened before. With Anil Kumble unavailable due to injury, I was selected for the first Test in Mumbai as I took 28 wickets in the Ranji Trophy that season. In the Wankhede, I got four wickets even though we lost badly. If I hadn’t gotten those wickets – three in a row – I probably wouldn’t have played at Eden Gardens.

In those days, every game was a battle for survival for me and I came to Eden Gardens feeling not optimistic but focused. It was a nice batting wicket on day one and Australia started from where they ended in Mumbai until we got to Hayden. Then I caught Mark Waugh when he was trying to edit.What happened after tea changed my life forever. Ricky PontingI dismissed him in Mumbai too but he came in and maybe lacked a little bit of confidence. I knew I had to attack the stumps. He came back to my delivery, slid and got stuck in front. Next up is Adam Gilchrist, I wouldn’t let him run away because he’s a great sweeper. This one slid in as well, and he was in front.Then the magic moment arrives. My goal is to keep it intact Shane Warne That way, if he misses, I can beat him to it. But the delivery is a little too full, and he delivers a film that’s full of heart and soul. I will always be grateful to Sadagopan Ramesh for his performance at forward short leg. I always say that my hat-trick belongs to me as well as to that catch from Ramesh. He just stretched out his right hand and moved it out of thin air.Australia went from 252-4 to 252-6 and suddenly, we had hope. But Steve Waugh stood in the way. That Australian team did not give up and Steve scored a brilliant century – his only century in India. He batted brilliantly with Jason Gillespie and scored 445 runs.When we hit the ball, it seemed like a different pitch. As the series defeat loomed, the wickets continued to fall and so did the mood in the dressing room. Laxman scored 59 runs in the first innings with batsman No. 6 and coach John Wright suggested that he should bat in the second innings.I don’t need to go into detail about what happened on day four. I can tell you what happened in the locker room. None of us were allowed to change seats because VVS and Rahul Dravid have an incredible partnership. By the end, some of us joked that it was our willpower and superstition that helped both champions.The morning of the fifth day was a bit of a blur, and as a junior I wasn’t involved in the decision-making process. I can understand that there are a lot of dilemmas when it comes to filing. When we entered the pitch just before lunch we knew we had a chance.I met Steve again, tripped by Hemang Badani, which remains my favorite out of the second innings. Sachin Tendulkar picked up three wickets with some brilliant bowling but Jason Gillespie remained standing.Dada had fielders all around the bat and we kept attacking. Jason caved, and then Glenn McGrath caved. A lot of people asked me if McGrath would be out? Did it hit him too far outside off-stump?No DRS, no eagle eye, it’s all seen with the naked eye. For me it was out the moment the ball hit his pads as he didn’t provide a shot and I’m glad umpire SK Bansal had a similar thought. The 13 wickets in that Test match changed my life forever. I still maintain that I was born in Punjab but made in Kolkata.(Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh Talk to Dwaipayan Dutta)