00:00In the dust and din of Eden Gardens, 1996, Andrew Hudson carved his name into the annals
00:06of South African batting within innings of uncommon grace and grit.
00:10Engaged India in the second test at Kolkata, Andrew Hudson compiled a magnificent 146 runs,
00:17crafted from 244 deliveries over 317 patient minutes, punctuated by 24 exquisite boundaries.
00:25The early exchanges were fraught with Peral, Javagal, Sirenath, sharp and propping, twice
00:30found the edge only for Fortunet to smile upon Hudson.
00:34From those narrow escapades, bloomed an innings of substance.
00:38Partnering with Garrick Histon, he forged a monumental stand of 236 runs, the second highest
00:44opening partnership in South Africa's history.
00:47While Garrick Histon began with fluent strokes, Andrew Hudson measured at first, blossomed into
00:52sublime timing, each boundary kissed with authority.
00:56For the connoisseurs of the game, such moments are more than statistics.
00:59They are cherished echoes of test cricket at its finest.
01:02For Ganguly, first ball coming up, let's join Deva Dukes and Robbie South Street.
01:08Thank you very much, Hase, yes, and a welcome to a noisy Eden Gardens.
01:12Not a full...
01:13And two first ones.
01:18Well, the first genuine excitement for the day, and drawing to the left, and Ganguly unable
01:25to have a pretty difficult and quick chance.
01:28And this is beautifully balled by Sreenath.
01:30Andrew Hudson just playing inside the lane here.
01:32The ball not quite coming to first lift.
01:34In fact, Mike, just have got his fingertips to it.
01:37Difficult chance.
01:43Just about getting his fingers to it.
01:45You just watch here that a bit of stumble by Hudson's.
01:51His back foot becomes his front foot, if you like, and that shows that it's a very good delivery
01:57from the opening bowler.
02:00So, it's something to think about for the South Africans on the first morning of this test match.
02:04And another good delivery to any other.
02:08So, India doing it well.
02:10It is six for none.
02:11And the catch.
02:19So, Monggyu just wandering across in front of first slip, and it was more just a lack of
02:27off by Monggyu, I think.
02:29It was a regulation glide to the week, even not a sneak.
02:33Well, the Indian fielder seemed to be a little bit on the back foot.
02:37This is a regulation catch for the keeper.
02:40This is the delivery we were talking about, just straightening.
02:43Hudson again playing inside the line, and that should have been taken.
02:47I'm not sure what Nari Monggyu was doing.
02:50You see the hand come off the back for Hudson, and he just fell, instead of moving his feet.
02:57Good comeback by Serenath.
02:58He's a very, very good bowler.
03:02And I just felt, Ravi, that there was a lack of foot moving by Monggyu.
03:06He just sort of fell at the ball.
03:08I think he expected it to come into his gloves, and suddenly it was just drifting a marginally
03:11away from him.
03:12That's right.
03:12I think he was a little too casual.
03:14He took it a little bit too easy.
03:17And the end result, the ball wasn't in his gloves.
03:22Take a look at it again.
03:24Very casual attempt.
03:39That's well played.
03:39It's played in front of Square, too.
03:42There's always going to be four runs.
03:44It's a fairly long boundary here at the Eden Gardens.
03:47That is stunned very, very, very well.
03:50It's not the easiest shot to play.
03:53The back foot drive in front of Square.
03:57The weight goes back, but it must be coming forward and through the ball on contact.
04:02Super shot from Hudson.
04:03Good shout from Srinath.
04:22I thought I heard two noises.
04:26Hudson out before LBW here.
04:34Seam up.
04:41Maybe just a little nick, but also I think missing leg stump.
04:44I think that was an excellent decision.
04:50So the left arm spinner, Samuel Josie, to bowl his second over.
04:55Hudson cuts and gets it away for four runs.
04:58Just a little bit short.
05:00Gave him some width and he was quickly on to it.
05:02The spin bowlers will soon realize that there is very little margin for error on a surface like this.
05:10A little bit of width here for Hudson.
05:13Josie just dropping it fractionally short.
05:16And Hudson having enough time to rock back on that back foot and find the gap on the offside.
05:21This is driven and it's through the poor fielding in the covers and as a result, four runs that might not have been.
05:37Well, that kind of effort shows you the kind of mourning the Indian fielders have had.
05:44Again, a very casual attempt.
05:46The driver, the guilty man here in the covers, really should have been stopped.
06:06That's four runs racing away to the boundary and certainly the falls are coming now.
06:16And lovely shot.
06:19Played one hand.
06:20He took the bottom hand off the back.
06:22Such is the timing though.
06:23Went straight to the fence.
06:26So Hudson just started starting to show the skill that he has shown in the past, but not perhaps to the Indians.
06:35That's one-handed stuff.
06:37Look how the face of the bat comes through.
06:39That might be how it might knock up in front of the pavilion before.
06:42It's a bit of practice.
06:43This is sort of truly spread off the Hudson.
06:48It won't, I don't think, go for thought.
06:51Really, nearly.
06:53It's nearly nearer than I thought when it went off the bat.
06:56I just feel rather apart.
06:58Anyone can drop a catch as Hudson goes to 50.
07:01So, both opening batsmen recording half-centuries.
07:09Which one will go on and turn it into three figures?
07:13As it's been a fine knock by Andrew Hudson.
07:18He had a share of luck early on, but he's concentrated.
07:21He's fucked through that period.
07:23And now has reached 51, and he'd like to carry on from here.
07:28He's done all the hard work.
07:29He won't want to give it away.
07:30Now, Gally's moved into Gary Kirsten.
07:41And now, is that bat or pad?
07:45Pad.
07:47That's to a four.
07:48It's straight back past the stumps at the bowler's end.
08:18Nicely timed shot.
08:20Kandilk was chasing hard, but he's down to lose up.
08:23Firm up.
08:26Very fast outfield.
08:27The grass is mown pretty short.
08:31Spectacular outfield.
08:33And it looks as though Hudson got it absolutely sweetly.
08:35See that?
08:36His hands move as the ball hits the bat.
08:39You watch his hands.
08:40They lose the bat momentarily, but he's such a wonderful striker of the ball
08:44and a timer of the ball, Hudson, when he's in good touch.
08:47But Session Tendulka had no chance.
08:50Rather badly executed at one stage earlier on, and this is another poor effort.
08:55And that is another gorgeous shot.
09:15He's always been a top driver of the ball, Andrew Hudson, but just look at the placement
09:19and the timing on that one.
09:23That's exactly the point.
09:25You don't get many bad balls at this level.
09:28And when you do, the last thing you want to do is hit it at a fielder.
09:32Over pitching.
09:34Four.
09:3482, not out, Andrew Hudson.
09:39The runs have been flooring since lunch.
09:4273 runs have come.
09:44Just about 70 minutes.
09:45Well, it certainly hit something on its way down to the boundary.
09:56Almost inevitably another four.
09:59It's got a four byes.
10:01Well, that would please the keeper if it did hit something.
10:06The keepers hate byes anyway, obviously.
10:10I think it just flicked that pad.
10:14Just flicked it.
10:16So, Stamongio will be a little grumpy about that.
10:27Over the line at the next boundary.
10:28Hudson decided it's going to be behind square.
10:31179 for most.
10:40We're looking for a couple here, definitely.
10:45So, 200 comes up for South Africa.
10:49Very, very well played by them.
10:54201 for no loss.
10:57When they were struggling in the first half an hour,
10:58one would have thought the score of round 280,
11:00300 would be a good one.
11:02But now 350, 360 definitely looks on the cards.
11:05And F for back foot, played beautifully through the covers.
11:14That's a lovely shot by Andrew Hudson.
11:19He's really seeing them big now
11:21and playing with tremendous confidence.
11:2723rd boundary for Hudson and probably his best.
11:30I thought that Kirsten's cover drive
11:33off Kumblo was exceptional,
11:36but I would think that that may well take
11:37the shot of the day.
11:40The opening goal hit through the covers
11:42off the back foot.
11:45And he's got to be in good touch.
11:47It brings up his 23rd of four.
11:50He goes to 140 himself, goes Hudson.
11:54And what a knock it has been.
11:56A difficult shot to play, isn't it, David, that shot?
11:59Robert Smith is the one batsman who plays it very well.
12:04And then, play it.
12:09And he plays it on the front foot.
12:11Results the same.
12:16I might have to change my opinion of the previous deliveries.
12:19This ball swung from Prasad
12:21and it just hits the middle of the bat.
12:24And Hudson has a lovely sounding bat.
12:30And in a stadium like this,
12:32which is full of people,
12:34and you actually hear the ball hit the bat in the middle,
12:37it is one of the great sounds of cricket.
12:40And Hudson has done that on two consecutive deliveries now
12:42for two boundaries.
12:43And those two boundaries have brought up
12:48a 50 partnership between these two.
12:51And it has come very quickly,
12:52this partnership of 50,
12:54between Hudson and Gibbs.
12:58Monggear has a habit of moving his left leg
13:00to the left.
13:03This changes his balance
13:05and his weight transfers,
13:06which makes it hard for him to come back
13:08to his right-hand side.
13:15And India will be very, very pleased
13:18to see the back of Andrew Hudson.
13:23And at last,
13:24they've got something more to cheer about.
13:27South Africa, 296 for two now.
13:30But what a splendid innings
13:31from Andrew Hudson.
13:33This Kolkata test became a historic chapter
13:57for South African cricket
13:58on a true surface and swift outfield.
14:01Their best man rediscovered rhythm,
14:03resisting four centuries
14:05in a single test
14:06for the very first time.
14:07Before a crowd of nearly 50,000 souls,
14:10fervently behind the home side,
14:12Andrew Hudson stood firm,
14:13his blade answering every question asked.
14:16His 146 was not merely a score,
14:18it was a statement,
14:20and innings forged under pressure,
14:22gilded with poise
14:23and remember with reverence.
14:25Andrew Hudson's knock in Kolkata
14:27symbolized more than personal triumph.
14:29It's embodied South African growing stature
14:31in the modern game.
14:33At a time when the Pratis
14:34was still shaping their identity
14:36on the test stage,
14:37his innings reflected the discipline,
14:39resilience,
14:40and quiet steel
14:41that would become their hallmark.
14:43It was an effort
14:44that not only silenced
14:46the roars of Eden Garden,
14:47but also whispered
14:48to the cricketing board
14:49that South Africa had found
14:51in Hudson
14:52a craftsman capable
14:53of anchoring their size.
14:55So cricket lovers,
14:56what are your thoughts
14:57on this memorable
14:58Andrew Hudson innings?
14:59Few knocks carry each weight
15:01and character
15:01etched forever
15:02in the story of test cricket.
15:04It was an exhibition of patience,
15:06timing,
15:07and sheer determination,
15:08the kind that still stirs
15:10nostalgia in those who witnessed it.
15:12In the end,
15:12South Africa not only found glory
15:14in Hudson's brilliance,
15:16but also stamped their authority
15:17with a resounding victory,
15:19winning the test match
15:20by a colossal margin
15:22of 329 runs.
15:24It was a triumph
15:24that echoed far beyond
15:26the boundaries of Kolkata,
15:28leaving behind memories
15:29to be the relived
15:30and cherished
15:31with every replay.
15:32If you like this video,
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15:35Thank you very much.
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