Former India player Venkatapathy Raju has recently talked to Sportstar about VVS Laxman’s stunning 281 against Australia at Eden Gardens way back in March 2001 to former India captain MS Dhoni. The innings was one of those historic innings which fans still enjoy.
“The atmosphere inside the dressing room was tense as we watched the game. Our coach John Wright came to us and said, ‘Go out and enjoy the action. Do not on watch it on the television. You may witness something truly special’…” former cricketer Raju tells Sportstar.
“We are privileged to be part of that team which gave a new direction to Indian cricket and showed the Aussies and the world that we are capable of playing a different brand of cricket,” added Venkatapathy Raju. “Well, in the first innings when I was batting with VVS, our manager Chetan Chauhan and the then selector Madan Lal came to us and told about how they have saved a couple of Tests from seemingly hopeless situations…”
“And, we were surprised when Laxman confidently said that we would win the Test match. Those words changed our mindset and gave us the confidence that we can try and change the course of the game. Hats off to Laxman and Dravid for their great batting. And of course, because of Harbhajan Singh’s brilliant bowling, we could go on to win the Test,” Raju shared.
The former Hyderabad captain also acknowledges the fact that it was the then India skipper, Sourav Ganguly, who played the key role by backing the players to the hilt.
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“So, when it came to naming Dhoni the captain, he was the only one performing under pressure. His calmness and the way he handled things impressed all of us. It was a unanimous decision by the panel and we decided to go with him,” added Raju.
“The other reason being many of the players, who were senior to him, were coming back from injuries or long breaks. So, we thought Dhoni was the best option and now we have no regrets given his phenomenal achievements as a player and a leader,” he said.
“Again, it is important to note that we made Anil Kumble, the Test captain for the 2007 Australian tour, which proved to be a wise decision, given the way he handled the infamous ‘Monkeygate’ scandal in the company of late Dr MV Sridhar (administrative manager of the Indian team on the tour to Australia),” he said.
However, he shared his thoughts on MS Dhoni and his future as well.
“Any player has to keep playing and performing to be in the contention. Be it domestic, India-A series or any other competitive cricket. You don’t have to prove to others, but prove to yourself that you belong there,” Raju expressed.
“Playing international cricket is never easy. It demands a different level of fitness and skills. For that, you have to be in the thick of it. I remember how I struggled coming back into Indian team after a three-year gap because of the totally different kind of intensive training in the Indian team as compared to playing Ranji or other first-class tournaments,” he concluded.
