New Delhi [India], December 4 : As the Border-Gavaskar Trophy progresses, anticipation builds ahead of the second Test match at Adelaide--a highly awaited Pink Ball Test. Indian cricket legend and former head coach Rahul Dravid spoke exclusively with Star Sports, reflecting on his memorable partnership with VVS Laxman in Adelaide, during 2003-04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Reminiscing about the 2003 Test series, Dravid recalled the challenge posed by Australia, who had smashed 556 runs in just 1.5 days. Dravid had walked in at 85-4 when Laxman joined him at the crease.
Dravid shared his thoughts, "I was thinking, 'I've got the captain run out. I better do something meaningful.' It was totally my mistake getting Saurav (Ganguly) run out. I will own up to that one--it was my mistake. But I think you're just trying to bat, you're just trying to build a partnership, you're just trying to get to the target. 556 is a huge score. You're just trying to stitch together a partnership; we've lost four wickets, and you're just trying to think about getting close and batting together."
Dravid and Laxman forged an important partnership of 303 runs, rescuing India from a precarious 85/4 position. After Australia's mammoth 556 in their first innings, and in reply, India posted 523, thanks to Dravid's 233 and Laxman's 148.
Dravid emphasized the unique synergy he shared with Laxman.
"The thing with Laxman and me is that we had batted together a couple of really big partnerships before that. We did it once in Kolkata in 2001 and even in a domestic game when we first played South Zone against West Zone--we had a really big partnership. So we had kind of batted a lot together and built this partnership. Not that we were thinking about that when we got out there, but I think the idea was really just to bat and try and build partnerships, stitch something together," he said, as per Star Sports.
As the partnership grew, Dravid noted how the conditions became more favourable.
"As the partnership grew, the wicket was a pretty good one to bat on, the ball got a bit softer, and runs started flowing a lot easier. It's always nice batting with Laxman as well, right? Because he's just a beautiful player to watch and such a lovely player. He really attacked back, which, in some ways, complemented me quite well in how we went about our innings," he added.
India scripted a famous win by four wickets, with Dravid scoring 72 not out in the second innings while chasing 230.
As the current Indian team prepares for another crucial Test in Adelaide, Dravid's reflections serve as a reminder of the grit and determination required to triumph in challenging conditions.