Australia vs India: Remembering the evergreen Adelaide Test of 2003

Since the advent of this millennium, the Test series between India and Australia have always been successful in drawing the attention of cricket fans across all parts of the world. Each series has witnessed a great competition between both the sides, bringing in some of the most special performances among the players and few of the most spectacular Test and Series victories for both the sides.

One among the most spectacular victories from Indian side came when they toured down under in 2003-04 to play a series comprising four tests. It came in Adelaide Oval played from Dec 12-16, 2003, almost 15 years back.

The series happened when the Sourav Ganguly led Indian tigers were just shedding off the tag "Tigers only at home" and had started winning outside the subcontinent as well. They were able to win a Test each in the series they had played in Zimbabwe, West Indies and England before arriving in Trans-Tasman country.

But they were up against the all-conquering Steve Waugh's Australians in what would be the final Test series of the legendary Aussie skipper. Though Indians were a confident bunch, the odds were against them.

But Indians showed their character in the first Test itself. In the rain-curtailed affair at the Gabba stadium in Brisbane, Indian bowlers surprised everyone by restricting Kangaroos for 323 in the first innings. Then their captain Sourav Ganguly led from the front scoring a spectacular 144 to steer the Indian total to 409 gaining a lead of 83 runs.

Though the first Test ended in a draw, it helped India gaining a kind of momentum for the rest of the series. The second Test venue was Adelaide and the match was scheduled from Dec 12 to 16.

Day 1: Whirlwind Batting Display by hosts

Kiss of the punter: Ponting after reaching the three-figure mark

On Day 1 of the Adelaide Test, Steve Waugh won the toss and didn't think twice to bat first. In order to leave behind the modest batting performance of Brisbane, Australian batsmen started coming down heavily on Indian bowlers scoring at a rapid pace.

Opener Justin Langer scored a quick fire 58 off 72 balls while Ricky Ponting (famously known as "Punter") made the mincemeat of Indian bowlers scoring a brisk century. The Aussie Vice Captain kept on getting good support from the batsmen at the other end who also chipped in with small but useful contributions.

At the stumps on Day 1, Australia had reached a mammoth 400 for the loss of 5 wickets scoring at the rate of 4.5 runs per over. All Indian bowlers were taken to the cleaners by the Punter.

Day 2: Kumble's magic and Indian comeback

Anil Kumble took three wickets in the same over including Ricky Ponting

On Day 2, Ponting with his overnight score of 176 continued his onslaught on clueless Indian bowlers and shared an 83-run partnership with Jason Gillespie for the eighth wicket. Punter raced to 242 with the help of 31 boundaries.

But soon after the lunch Anil Kumble, who was brought into the series not as a first choice spinner, had got a chance to play in the Test only because of the absence of the first choice spinner Harbhajan Singh due to injury, struck thrice in a single over to end the Punter's onslaught and cutting short the Aussie score at 556. Anil's bowling figures read 5 for 154 adding one more five-wicket haul to his growing kitty.

Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra started well reaching 66/0 in 11 overs before Aakash Chopra fell for 27 to pacer Andy Bichel. The latter soon removed the dangerous looking Sehwag and sent Sachin Tendulkar back to pavilion soon after he had opened his account.

A mix-up between captain Sourav Ganguly and his deputy Rahul Dravid ended in a run-out of the former leaving India in tatters at 85 for 4 just before Tea. The task was up to the new batsman VVS Laxman to forge a partnership with Dravid in order to take their team to safety.

Post tea, Dravid and Laxman dropped the anchor, steadied the Indian ship and ensured no more causalities on the day. At the stumps of Day 2, India were 180/4 with Dravid batting at 43 and Laxman going past the half century mark.

Day 3: Dravid-Laxman stand - Repeat of Eden

Dravid (Left) and Laxman shared a partnership of 303 runs

At the end of Day 2, though the hosts were still in command, it would be no surprise if they had started getting jitters in their minds because of the unbeaten overnight partnership of 95 runs between Dravid and Laxman. No one seemed to have forgotten the Indian summer of 2001 when the same pair had taken away the game from Kangaroos to script an unrealistic victory for India at Eden Garden, Kolkata.

On Day 3, unfortunately, the worst fears came true for Aussies as Dravid-Laxman duo started batting with ease. They had the task cut-out in their minds and batted sensibly against the Aussie pace attack sans the legendary Glenn McGrath, ruled out of the series due to injury. The Aussies were already devoid of the services of ace leg-spinner Shane Warne who was serving a one year ban during that time.

The Indian pair left the outgoing deliveries for the keeper, punished the bad balls and found the boundaries whenever they needed. Both were in complete control of their game and were scoring at almost the same pace. Their individual scores were moving in parallel.

It was Dravid who reached the three-figure mark first but in an uncharacteristic style. Batting on 99, after being denied a single for few deliveries, he chose to pull the short ball which went high enough to go above the towering Jason Gillespie into the stands. After a few deliveries, Laxman too got into his 100s!

The Indian duo didn't let the century celebrations affect their concentration levels. They continued batting with ease till the Tea break forcing Steve Waugh to bring in part-time bowlers Simon Katich and himself in order to give rest to the tired front-line bowling unit.

Dravid went past 150 but Laxman poked one outside the off stump to keeper Adam Gilchrist falling two short of a well deserved 150. But before parting, the duo had added 303 runs bringing back the memories of Kolkata Test of 2001.

The mission was not over for India as they were still trailing by 168 runs when Laxman departed. Dravid seemed unperturbed by the breaking of their partnership and added 59 runs in the company of Parthiv Patel. After Patel's exit, Ajit Agarkar also followed just a few overs before the end of the day's play. New batsman Kumble stood firm till stumps with his state-mate Dravid who ended the day with an unbeaten 199.

Day 4: Dravid's double ton and Agarkar's hour of glory

Ajit Agarkar took 6 for 42 in second innings

As the play began on Day 4, Dravid didn't take much time to complete his fourth double hundred, ensured India crossed 500 run mark. He was the last man to go when India's total was 523 conceding a slender lead of 33 runs. The Wall (as Dravid is popularly called) had stood firm for nearly six hours at the crease, and had made Australians spend nearly two days on the field.

With just over five sessions remaining in the match, the draw seemed to be a more probable outcome. But the Kangaroos were famous for enforcing a result in favour of them from any given point in a match. They came to bat with the same mindset in the second innings but this time the script was being written by someone else who was less expected to do that!

Ajit Agarkar, the quickest bowler in the Indian squad, struck in his second over removing opener Justin Langer and a couple of overs later packed off the first innings hero Ponting for a nought when Aussies' score was just 18. Another new ball operator, Ashish Nehra joined the party by removing dangerous Matthew Hayden for 17.

Steve Waugh then joined Damien Martyn to steady the ship and added 65 useful runs for the fourth wicket. But the golden arms of Sachin Tendulkar and magic reflexes of Dravid did the damage for Australia twice, sending both the set batsmen to pavilion in a span of 3 runs.

Adam Gilchrist made a quickfire 43 of 41 balls before Kumble bowled him around the legs leaving the hosts at 183 for 6. Agarkar was brought back into attack who cleaned up the rest of the host batting for a modest-looking 196. It was Agarkar's best bowling performance in Tests and it remained so till he retired.

Being set the target of 230 India had to bat out 10 overs before the day's close. Indian openers Aakash Chopra and Virender Sehwag made a brisk start and ended the day with 37 without any wicket.

Day 5: "The Wall" who again stood tall

Rahul Dravid hitting the winning runs

Going into the Day 5, Indian fans had started sensing it to be a historical day in the making! But chasing 193 runs on the final day of a Test was never going to be an easy affair that too in hot conditions prevailing in Adelaide during that time.

Opener Aakash Chopra departed in the fifth over of the day falling in LBW trap against Jason Gillespie. Dravid himself survived a big appeal for caught behind early in his innings as the umpire noticed it correct when the ball had brushed of the batsman's elbow without touching the glove.

After Sehwag got out when India's score was 79, Out of form Tendulkar joined Dravid in the middle and scored a quick 37 and added 70 runs for the third wicket before getting adjudged LBW when India's score was 149.

Captain Ganguly didn't last long and the task to see India home again fell on the broad shoulders of Dravid and Laxman. They didn't disappoint as they added 51 runs for the fifth wicket before Laxman fell to the part-time bowler Simon Katich. But the task was almost done as India needed just 9 more runs to win.

Dravid stayed till the end to provide the winning runs that too with a stylish cover drive of Stuart MacGill. Captain Ganguly who was already standing just outside the boundary ropes came in and gave a bear hug to his deputy who had scripted one of the most famous victories for his country on foreign soil.

It was a great gesture from Steve Waugh who picked up the match ball from the boundary and presented it to "Man of the Match" Rahul Dravid as a memento. It has been close to 15 years since the match happened but it is still remembered as one of the most memorable victories India ever had on the foreign soil.