December 18, 2006 will be a day to remember for Indian cricket aficionados. This was the day India recorded a historic first Test win on South African soil.

Personally, there are a few things which made the Test extra special for me. One of them was obviously Dada's [Sourav Ganguly] return to the team. Even his most ardent critic would have been silenced by his stunning comeback. He was the epitome of poise in the first innings and for me the highlight of the innings was the six he hit off Makhaya Ntini. Rocking on to the back foot, he let fly a pull shot right over the mid-wicket fence in the way only he can. I just hope that he is drafted into the one-day squad as well.

The other was yet another Very Very Special knock by VVS Laxman. The stylish right-hander literally carried the Indian second innings and along with the tail put the match out of South Africa's reach. There are few sights in cricket better than Laxman on song. As a long-time fan of Laxman, I really fail to understand why he is the one who seems to be perpetually on trial.

Regarding Sri Sreesanth's bowling and the famous six off Andre Nel, a lot has already been said so let's leave it at that. Another good comeback to the team was that of Zaheer Khan, who was impressive with both bat and ball.

The only South African resistance was provided by Ashwell Prince and Shaun Pollock on the final day, but even that turned out to be a classic case of too little too late and the Indian team emerged convincing victors.

I once again doff my hat to the excellent teamwork displayed by the Indians and hope that they go on to win the series. That would really be the icing on the cake for a team that was written off after the one-day series.