Legendary cricketing pairs who played their last match together (Post-2000) 

Rahul Dravid & VVS Laxman (Played Last International together)

VVS Laxman & Rahul Dravid: They wrote-anticlimaxes to powerful scripts

If a list of the 'Greatest Indian Test Batsmen' is prepared even fifty years from today, it would be a shame if either of these two legends misses out. With the bat, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were the torch-bearers of Indian cricket's golden age in Test cricket. With both of them in the side, India won two Test matches each in Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka, a first Test series in Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, and first Test series wins in England, New Zealand and West Indies in decades.

While India were near-invincible at home during their careers, the trademark of their partnerships were huge runs against top teams in tough situations. Two of their best partnerships - both 300-plus stands - came against Australia.

The first, regarded as a game changer in India's cricketing fortunes, was when India were 1-0 down in the 2001 series, following on in the second Test, against a World Champion side coming off a 15-match winning streak.

The second such partnership came in 2003 in Australia at Adelaide - the home team scored a gigantic 556 batting first, and India lost their first four wickets for 85. Their partnership was so effective that not only did India win a Test match in Australia after 22 years, it still remains one of the highest first Innings score a side batting first (Australia) has made in a losing cause.

VVS and Rahul were both parts of the disastrous tour of Australia in 2011-12, where both played all the four matches and failed to score runs. While Dravid announced his retirement immediately after the series, VVS announced his retirement just before India's next Test match against New Zealand, which was going to be played at his home ground in Hyderabad. The Adelaide Test in January 2012 proved to be the last international game of both the player's careers.