OTD: Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman added 303 runs for the fifth wicket to help India reach 523 in the Test series against Australia

On this day the indomitable duo of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman added 303 runs in the first innings for the second test match of the series at Adelaide to lead India to a historic victory. This precious win in the second test gave India a lead in the series which later helped India to draw the series in Australia, a next-to-impossible job for an Asian team. 

First Innings

Steve Waugh won the toss for Australia and opted to bat first. The Australian batting unit lived up to the expectations of its captain and put on a great show to post 556 runs on the board at the end of the first innings. It needed a herculean effort from India to overtake this mountainous score and take the lead in the match. The Indian team started their innings on a good note but lost track and it was 5 wickets down even before 100 runs could be added on the board. Players like Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sourav Ganguly were back in the pavilion which gave Australia an enormous edge in the match. 

But when the times are adverse players like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman would step up and when the opposition was Australia, the resolve to do something exceptional would become even more strong. The duo stood tall and made it tough for Australia to get more breakthroughs. Eventually, they added 303 runs to take India beyond the 500-run mark and reduce the margin of lead for Australia. Rahul Dravid ended up with 233 runs whereas VVS Laxman played a great hand with a knock of 148 runs to keep India alive in the contest. 

Historic Victory for Sourav’s Men

The first-innings heroics from India were backed up by a phenomenal bowling performance by the bowling unit which sparked an Australian collapse and wrapped their second innings for 196 runs.  India got a target of 230 runs which was chased down, courtesy of another crucial knock from Rahul Dravid, with 4 wickets in hand. Dravid was also adjudged the player of the match for his outstanding batting display in both the innings.