Absolute gem of an innings that got overshadowed when Dravid, Sachin and Ganguly hit big centuries in the same innings.
In comparison to
- Dravid’s classic drives
- Sachin’s magnificent pull shots
- Ganguly’s godly square cuts
His nervous, tentative nudges were always going to be underrated, Can you guess?
They say in England, its not the pitch but the overhead conditions that play crucial role in the course of a test match. Now, look at below picture,
It was very similar view that everyone had on the morning of first day of third test match between India and England at Leeds in 2002. Add to that, Leeds is fortress of England known for lateral movement, fast pace and steamy bounce.That’s why when Dada won the toss and decided to bat first, entire English squad went into a deep shock.
Likes of Hoggard, Caddick, Flintoff could not have asked for better mouth watering feast.
This player was fighting for existence in the team of Rockstars and Gods, was sent to open the innings in a situation where every ball was spitting poison, his name is Sanjay Bangar.
He lost his partner Sehwag early. Watching that match live, I still remember he did not look pretty in his defense but more importantly he was effective. It was Test cricket at its best when you felt that next ball the wicket will fall and thus went 445 balls i.e. 74.1 overs. Lunch happened, tea was also taken but this man along with Dravid stood their ground like a wall which frustrated the English Men. Bangar was tested with bouncers, he took several hits but rarely misjudged his footing the next ball, he was forward when the delivery was full length. Crucially it was his gritty fight in the first session that was praise-worthy.
Eventually he got out after facing 236 deliveries and scoring 68 valuable runs that would set the foundation for now famous Trimurti show. Sachin blasted , Ganguly Roared and Dravid sailed. India declared on 628, eventually beating England by in Innings. It was truly an historic win. The four match series was drawn and Indians would leave the country with their heads high.
Rahul Dravid was given Player of the match award. Sanjay Bangar received a lot of praise for his innings perhaps not enough that he deserved.