2003 Adelaide

It was one of the historic Tests for the Indian cricket team on the Australian soil. India came here (at Adelaide Oval) to play the second Test of the four-match Test series after making a draw result in the first Test of the series at Brisbane.

On the opening day of the Test match on 12 December 2003, Aussie captain Ricky Ponting decided to bat first. Ponting’s outstanding 242 led the host side to score 556 before they were bundled out while Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble (5/154) picked up five wickets in that innings.

In reply, India was once struggling on 85/4 but after that Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman put an extremely crucial 303-run partnership for the fifth that changed the entire moment of the game. While Laxman scored 148 runs, Dravid played a marathon innings of 233 runs off 446 balls and helped India to manage 523 on the board before losing all wickets.

Australia began their second innings with the 33 runs lead but the Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar’s brilliant spell and some reckless shots from Aussie batsmen put the hosts under the danger as they were bundled out for just 196 runs. In that innings, Agarkar had a bowling figure of 16.2-2-41-6.

Chasing down the 230 runs target, Rahul Dravid again led the side as he remained not out on 72 runs and India secured their victory on the fifth day by scoring 233/6. The visitors won by four wickets and took the 0-1 lead of that series. Undoubtedly, Dravid won the Player of the Match award for playing one of the unforgettable innings in Test cricket history.