Bliss in Eden

For only the second time in their careers, Rahul Dravid scored a hundred and Anil Kumble picked five wickets and more in the same Test to create history. Like they did, two seasons ago, to give India its first Test win in Australia in 22 years8212;Dravid scored 233 and Kumble picked 5 wickets in Adelaide.

Today, the victory was important, if not as precious, as the one in Adelaide.

8220;The failure to win the game in Mohali had every one of us disappointed and hurt. They were not supposed to draw that match after the position we had them in on Day Four,8221; Kumble told The Indian Express.

8220;They played well but we had a great chance to strike first. It made me much more eager to win here,8221; he said.

And when Kumble is eager, opponents can expect a serious strike. With seven wickets in the second innings and 10 for the match, Pakistan will barely be able to recover for the Bangalore Test.

Dravid, meanwhile, applauded Kumble for his performance despite scoring two hundreds in the Test.

8220;His contribution is phenomenal. Right from the first ball this morning, he seemed very determined. Even under tough conditions, he went about his job like he always does,8221; Dravid told The Indian Express.

Kumble picked the batting as the main reason for the win.

8220;We batted very well here. We put up 400 on the board twice. And Pakistan had to bat last. At Mohali, they were batting third and knew that if they crossed 200 runs, we would spend some time chasing those runs,8221; said Kumble.

With two hundreds in the Test, Dravid was easily the key to the Indian innings. Both times, the team needed big runs; Dravid pulled them out of his bat.

8220;He is simply an amazing batsman. His hunger for runs, his concentration for long hours at the crease is admirable,8221; Kumble said about Dravid, comparing him to the battery advertisement that goes on and on and on.

8220;I have known him since he played his first match in Maharashtra and the astonishing part is that his batting has never changed, it has just gotten better,8221; Kumble said.

For Dravid, too, today8217;s win is extra special because it came after the Mohali draw, a match they should have won.

8220;It8217;s never been about runs. Wins are important for me, match-winning performances are important for me,8221; he said.

8220;Numbers don8217;t mean anything to me. And my Test average second only to Don Bradman8217;s is just a number. It has no relevance to where my place in history will be.8221;