30 December,2010 08:23 AM IST | | Clayton Murzello
Praveen Amre, who after 18 years, is still India's only Test centurion at Durban, says he's delighted for India, but sad that Laxman couldn't join him on the honours board
When former India batsman Praveen Amre visited Durban in 2000 - eight years after his Test debut hundred there in 1992 ufffd he made it a point to check out the honours board at Kingsmead.
A thousand memories of South Africa's first Test at home after readmission flashed through his mind, already preoccupied with the challenge of performing well for Boland on South Africa's domestic scene.
He felt proud to see his name as the sole Indian Test centurion at a ground known for its hatred for batsmen.
After Amre, no Indian has made an entry into that list although VVS Laxman came quite close to getting there on Tuesday.
Amre took 103 off a South African pace attack comprising Allan Donald, Brett Schultz, Brian McMillan and Meyrick Pringle. He batted for 374 minutes to help India get a 23-run first innings lead in the drawn Test. "I am delighted that India have managed to win in Durban after three Test attempts. Everyone knows how difficult the pitch is for batsmen, but I feel sad for Laxman, who missed out by just four runs," Amre told MiD DAY yesterday.
"Laxman deserved to get there because if you look at the scorecard, Ashwell Prince's 39 was the best effort from a South Africa batsman. That says something about the conditions in Durban. When I played there, Kepler Wessels got a hundred. In this case, no one came near.
"India deserve to be better represented in that list of batting honours there because we have such great batsmen. For years, the South Africans have made sure we get a fixture in Durban; they've humiliated us but now we've got back at them. I am as delighted as the current team members." By winning on a difficult surface, Amre felt India sent out a strong message. "Today, we made it clear to them that they can be beaten; that they are vulnerable too," he said.
