Rahul Dravid reminisce India's win over Australia in the Adelaide Test of 2003
The Adelaide Test of 2003 will be remembered for several reasons. Ricky Ponting’s doubles hundred, Ajit Agarkar’s six-wicket haul, Sachin Tendulkar’s vital spell in the second innings, when he claimed Steve Waugh and Damien Martyn etc.
But above all, the Test will be remembered for the exploits of Rahul Dravid, who scored a total of 305 runs in the game, including a double hundred in the first innings followed by unbeaten 72 in the second innings, that paved the way for a famous Indian win.
Speaking about the victory, The 43-year-old said that the idea was to bat for as long as one can and added that this game was a ‘memory’ to what had happened in Kolkata in 2001.
"What we did have was the memory of the Kolkata Test match (in 2001), which had just happened a couple of years before that and we'd batted a whole day without getting out.
“The plan was just to try and build a big partnership – just to bat as long as we possibly could," Dravid told cricket.com.au.
Dravid added that he and VVS Laxman were used to batting for long hours and felt that batting got easier once the hardness of the ball went away.
“One of the things with the Kookaburra ball, especially in those conditions, is it does get easier to bat after 20-25 overs, the outfield is fast and it's a lovely place to bat once you're playing well.
"So we were used to having long partnerships together, we trusted each other and we got along really well with each other on and off the field,” he added.
After scoring 233 in the first innings, India were a set a target of 230 for win, thanks largely to a splendid spell of 6 for 41 from Ajit Agarkar. The right-hander was once again the pivot around which the others batted and scored a superb 72 not out to guide India to a famous win.
Reflecting on the significance of the win, Dravid said that the victory gave the team a lot of confidence to the team.
"For India, it's always been difficult for us to play (in Australia) because the conditions are so different to home
“So for us to win a Test match in Australia gave us a lot of confidence – we were quite a young team at that stage – that we could play good cricket even in difficult conditions,” he said.
After the right-hander had smashed the ball to the boundary, the then Australian captain Steve Waugh signed the cherry and gave it to the Indian, who said that he still had it at his home.