India’s famous win over Australia in the 2001 Kolkata Test is a feat well-documented, but rare broadcast footage of their dressing room celebrations has now resurfaced on social media, showing another side to some of India’s top superstars, especially Rahul Dravid.
The victory in 2001 is etched in India’s cricketing folklore as one of their most significant Test triumphs, considering the might of the Australian team at the time, and the overhaul of the Indian setup after the match-fixing controversy the previous year. The 171-run victory also ended Australia’s run of 16 straight wins, with India becoming only the third team to win a game after being asked to follow on.
Sachin Tendulkar is seen kicking off the celebrations by spraying a bottle of champagne as the rest of the team cheers in unison.
Here’s a flashback of the epic celebration in the Indian camp after the 2001 Kolkata Test win over Australia. Watch out for Dravid’s celebration here. The man who was mostly poker faced on the field it is quite amazing to see how much this win meant to him.
Well done DD Sports pic.twitter.com/XcnnvqVJbu
— Mainak??️ (@desi_robelinda) April 13, 2020
Most notably, however, Dravid, one of the two heroes of India’s remarkable second-innings-comeback, then takes charge of the celebrations. Seldom do you see Dravid as expressive as he is in the video, cheering his guts out after playing his part in the win.
Afterwards, the team is seen taking a lap of honour around the Eden Gardens, acknowledging the vociferous crowd holding aloft India flags.
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In the times of fly-on-the-wall documentaries and biopics, old gems such as these are indeed pure gold.
