'Even if I play under 100 captains, Sourav Ganguly will always remain my captain' - Harbhajan Singh

It is fair to say that Eden Gardens is the Mecca of Indian Cricket. And, it is not only the crowd or the atmosphere that it has generated over the years- especially in the yesteryears when it used to hold the capacity of a hundred thousand people, but also become some of the greatest moments of Indian cricket have been achieved at the venue.

Who can forget that epic semi-final finish against South Africa during the 1993 Hero Cup when Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar miraculously defended six runs in the final over or when Anil Kumble ran through the West Indies batting unit to claim six wickets for 12 runs in the summit clash or when the troika of Harbhajan Singh, Rahul Dravid, and the Very Very Special Laxman scripted a sensational come-from-behind heist against Steve Waugh’s Australia in the March of 2001.

So, how could it be possible that India and Bangladesh were squaring off in the historic Pink ball Day-Night Test at Kolkata that the architects of all those momentous occasions weren’t honoured?  They were all there at the Eden Gardens on the first day and during the session break, the likes of Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman went down memory lane to revisit those sacred moments.

Harbhajan Singh got emotional after being asked about his memories of Kolkata

According to Anil Kumble, it was probably the first that all of them have assembled together for a chat since their playing days. “We have not had a chance to sit like this since our playing days. It is a special day and there could not have been a better venue for this historic game,” Kumble said as quoted by SportsCafe.

Harbhajan Singh, when asked about his memories of Kolkata got a bit emotional, stating that it was a special feeling for him to come at the venue where he took that match-defining hattrick against Australia in 2001 while also stating that Sourav Ganguly will always be his captain even if he plays under 100 captains.

“The atmosphere here takes me back to 15 years ago. Test cricket was different back then. It is a special feeling and I feel so much love every time I come here. Hats off to Ganguly for doing this. Even if I play under 100 captains, he will always be my captain,” Bhajji said.

Talking about that iconic 2001 Test, Sachin attributed Harbhajan for his hattrick and the duo of Laxman-Dravid who racked up a 376-run partnership to turn the tide completely in India’s favour.

“The game changed so quickly because of that hat-trick. The way we won the game ushered in a new phase for the Indian team. Bhajji was sensational, got Ricky Ponting out so many times and Laxman and Dravid partnership did wonders for the confidence of the dressing room,” Tendulkar said.

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