On This Day, October 5: Though it may not be in comparison with the Kolkata Test of 2001, which is too memorable for anyone to forget, the Mohali Test of 2010 is one test that will always be remembered in cricket history. India needed to chase down a steep target of 216 runs in just one day and 17 overs. The chase saw an impressive start on the fourth day itself but eventually, at the end of the day, India had indeed struggled to 55 for 4.
And the very next day only got worse. Till lunch, India had lost yet another four wickets, leaving their cause precariously placed but only a hundred runs ahead of the Aussies. All hope now was on the shoulders of two – VVS Laxman and Ishant Sharma. Here was Laxman, who was batting at No. 10 in the first innings due to a back spasm, coming in at No. 7 in the second innings – all with the help of a runner.
As the match heated up, India needed just 11 runs to win and Ishant fell as he was about to do the same again all over. It had left Laxman to rally one man only, Pragyan Ojha, in tandem with his runner, Suresh Raina, scrambling for crucial singles.
And with nerves of steel, Laxman led India to a dramatic victory by one wicket.
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It was an exciting win that told the story of Laxman’s never-say-die spirit and marked the beginning for India, who went on to chase 207 runs in Bangalore to eventually seal the series 2-0 against Australia. It is still proof of how the fighting spirit of this land went about in a real flesh-and-blood display of what makes cricket heaven.
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