Former Indian batting star Rahul Dravid was nothing less than a nightmare for many potent bowling line-ups specially in the longest format of the game. Hailed as ‘The Wall,’ the right-handed batsman possessed a rock-solid defence which the best of the bowlers couldn’t breach. Arguably, however, Dravid’s best knock in Test cricket came against Australia at Adelaide in 2003. The star batsman scored 233 runs in India’s first innings which proved to be crucial as the visitors won the game by four wickets. The historic knock also found a place in an illustrious list named by cricket.com.au.

In the top-20 best test innings played on Australian soil since 2000, Dravid’s marathon knock was ranked third by the website. After winning the toss, the home side put up a batting exhibition as skipper Ricky Ponting scored a magnificent double-century and guided his side to a massive score of 556-10. In reply, the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar were dismissed for low scores and the onus was on David and VVS Laxman, the same pair which guided India to a memorable win against Australia in 2001 Kolkata Test. Rahul Dravid Ultimate Team Man, Game's Most Committed Student, Says VVS Laxman.

History repeated itself as the two talismanic batsmen toiled the Aussie bowlers and scored fantastic centuries. Laxman eventually got out for a well-made 148. However, Dravid didn’t lose his concentration and registered a scintillating double century.

He finally fell prey to Jason Gillespie but not before scoring 233 runs. His efforts helped India post 523 runs in the first innings. Chasing 233 runs for victory, Dravid continued his fine form and played another sensational knock. His unbeaten 72 helped the visiting side win the game by four wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 09, 2020 02:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).