"2001 Kolkata Test was inspiration"

Sethu Maathavan April 16, 2009

"There's obviously a lot of similarities. We always remember the Kolkata Test in such circumstances. It (Eden Test) was a historic one that continues to inspire and give confidence whenever you're in trouble," said VVS Laxman.

"It was very satisfying for all of us to be a part of history. More importantly, the win gives more confidence now. We are very close to becoming number one in Tests which is our main aim. We are consistently winning Tests abroad," Laxman said.

"Dhoni is one of the best captains I played under," said Laxman.

"He is so calm and composed. He exudes a lot of confidence. It's a great feeling to play under him," he said.

"Gautam really played well. Especially, in the second innings of Napier Test. Batting for more than 10 hours requires a tremendous effort. It was great. He carved and then paced his innings well and played his natural game. It was a very important knock during that match.

"I always call him 'run machine'. He has the appetite for runs. He was consistently doing well in domestic circuit and it was really pleasing to see him start performing at international level."

"Also the way Gary (Kirsten) is coaching, credit should be given to him and the support staff (Paddy) Upton, (Venkatesh) Prasad, Robin (Singh), all of them have been a great help to all the players," he said.

"It started changing in (March) 2001 after our historic win in the Eden Test. In fact, that series in totality was a turning point for the Indian cricket. Since then whenever we travel abroad, we have been doing very well.

"After that my first overseas tour was Zimbabwe and we won there. We won another Test in the West Indies... Then in England in 2002. Slowly we started winning abroad. Thereafter, we were all very keen do well abroad."

He said: "I am very pleased to see my performance. I contributed especially in both the innings (in Napier). I relish performing under pressure. It was one more good knock.

Really glad that I could able to contribute for the team's success it makes one happy."

"It was good that we landed there almost 15 days before the start (of Test series). It was a huge help for most of us. How much you practice in Indian conditions, it's difficult to adapt overseas. We got an opportunity to play first class matches there and it really helped us."

"My county stint for the next four months will keep me actively involved playing cricket till our next series against Sri Lanka," he signed off.