Boria Majumdar
With less than a day to go for the India-South Africa Test match at Eden Gardens, it is time to look back at the 2010 match at the same venue, a game that witnessed some spectacular performances, and allowed India to retain their No. 1 position in the world Test rankings. After a magical comeback from a position of utter hopelessness, India had South Africa on the mat on the last day. Time was an issue and India needed to close out the game to level the series. South Africa had won the first Test in Nagpur and a draw in Kolkata would have meant they won the series. It would also mean India being dethroned from their position as the top Test side, and the significance of the result was enormous.
The tension on day five was palpable. India were pushing for a win as Hashim Amla – who scored superb hundreds in both innings – fought a gritty battle. With him was India’s current bowling coach, Morne Morkel. He had batted for 76 long minutes and played 60 balls. With time running out, the Indians were getting restless. We all were. The win was a real necessity, and everything was thrown at the South Africans. The crowd too got behind the team, and every appeal was being cheered. That’s when Harbhajan Singh, one of the bowlers of the match, was reintroduced from the High Court End.
As far as the media was concerned, we were doing all kinds of things to make it happen. Some moved seats, while others smoked cigarettes. In my case, the television channel I had a consultancy with did something unique. They had me patched on hoping that I would scream in delight the moment the wicket fell, and they’d be able to cut to the story straight up. There is always a delay of a few seconds in broadcast, and we could get to the story immediately. I was actually on hold for a few minutes when it happened. Bhajji trapped Morkel lbw, and each one of us erupted in joy. The number-one mantle had been saved and a famous Test match won. As I screamed in delight, the newsroom cut to the story and we were live. It was one of those moments.
At the end of everything, I remember standing in front of the club house as Sachin Tendulkar walked out. I had requested him for his signed match jersey and the agreement was that he’d give it to me if India won. Sachin saw me and instantly took out the jersey, signed and dated it, and handed it over to me with his match score (106) written on it. The jersey is a prized possession and is in the museum.
It was a fantastic Test match and, from an Indian perspective, the near-perfect game. To get South Africa all out for 296 after they were 218-1 was commendable, and Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan were both stellar. With the bat, India had multiple centurions and the crowd were thoroughly entertained. In all fairness, every Indian fan will be hoping for an encore in the next few days.
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