Australia tour of india 2001

The historic India-Australia Kolkata Test of the 2000-01 series was Shyam Kumar Bansal's last of his six-Test career as an umpire, and it turned out to be a see-saw battle that has gone down as one of the best Tests ever played. Bansal fondly remembers the backfoot drives of VVS Laxman, who scored a momentous 281, Rahul Dravid's 180, and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh's hat-trick vividly, even at the age of 80.

Almost 20 years after officiating in the match in front of a packed Eden Gardens, Bansal also recalled the jeers he received when he turned down an appeal from the Indians against Aussie tailender Jason Gillespie towards the end of the first day's play. Gillespie and captain Steve Waugh ended up sharing a 133-run record stand for the ninth wicket that helped the visiting team pile up 445 in their first innings.