Border Gavaskar Trophy 2003/04: An enthralling series and farewell to Steve Waugh

As Indians go on another tour of Australia, the expectations are high this time. A relatively weak Australian side which is sans David Warner and Steve Smith along with concerns in the bowling line up stack the odds in favour of India.

With Virat Kohli silencing his critics with his bat in England, India’s middle order and openers would have to play their parts well if the tourists are to clinch their first test series victory down under.

While the recent overseas tours of South Africa and England raised eyebrows when it came to decision making and selection, it would not be only the players who would be feeling the heat. Roles of Coach Ravi Shastri and the support staff have been under the scanner repeatedly.

While India have won only a handful of Tests in Australia, they drew the Test series in 2003-04 under Sourav Ganguly - a captain who worked tirelessly towards his goal of winning overseas. His disagreements with selectors were frequent common. He was aggressive, could motivate the youngsters and as Anil Kumble remarked once, 'Sourav Ganguly taught us to win overseas'.

The Indian squad relied on the famed middle order - Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. With Virender Sehwag and Akash Chopra at the top, the batting line up looked solid.

Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra and the then wonder-boy Irfan Pathan shouldered the fast bowling responsibility. Anil Kumble was picked as Sourav Ganguly was adamant and wanted the champion spinner with him.

Australians traditional discomfort against Off spinners meant that Harbhajan Singh would also make the squad. With memories of a drubbing in the previous tour in 1999 fresh, Indians were expected to face some hostile bowling on the quick and bouncy tracks. Add to these the Australian crowd, any tour of Australia could possibly be the worst nightmare for a touring player.

The absence of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne because of an injury and a ban respectively were setbacks to Australia but the Australian team of that generation had enough reinforcements - few replacements were at times deemed as better than the replaced.

After the customary warm-up matches, the teams met at the Gabba for the first Test of the series.

First Test - Gabba, Brisbane

Ganguly's century set the tone for the series

The first memory which comes to mind from this Test would be the century from the captain Sourav Ganguly. On a rain-affected green top, Australians batted first and scored 323 at more than fours runs an over.

Justin Langer scored a century while Zaheer Khan, who began in a wayward fashion ended up with five wickets. Ajit Agarkar chipped in with three wickets (he was the only other wicket-taker in the innings -with the other two being run outs). Given that Australia were 268-3 at a stage, it was a commendable effort from the duo.

While intermittent showers halted play, India was in a spot of bother at 62-3 after an opening partnership worth 61 when the Indian captain walked out to bat and the innings set the tone for the remainder of the series.

With pundits all over the world talking about his shortcomings against the rising ball and asking him to promote VVS Laxman instead, the captain batted like a man possessed. The Test ended in draw as Laxman and a young Parthiv Patel came good with the bat.

Australians raced to 284 in the second innings and set a target of 199 - there was not enough time to get it though.

Second Test - Adelaide

Dravid played a match-winning knock of 233

The action shifted to Adelaide - a town synonymous with the legendary Don Bradman. Indians brought in Anil Kumble and Irfan Pathan as Harbhajan Singh who disappointed in the first Test and Zaheer who had a fitness issue, sat out.

With seagulls all around, Indians watched in awe as Ricky Ponting piled on the runs and scored 242. A scoreline of 85-4 after Australia scored 556 indicated Indians were in familiar circumstances once again - their backs against the wall.

The ever-reliable Rahul Dravid and the Very Very Special Laxman joined hands after beginning circumspectly and forged a three hundred run partnership- Dravid scoring a double century in the process.

Indians were back in the match after conceding a lead of only 33. An extraordinary bowling effort could have them a sniff at a victory and Ajit Agarkar provided just that - two wickets upfront and cleaning up the tail later, he finished with figures of 16.2-2-41-6.

With a target of 230 well within reach, Rahul Dravid was again in the thick of things as his half-century ensured India overcame their customary middle order collapses and chased down the target. The victory gave Indians the edge - the approach and the intent were clear - to play aggressively and win the series.

Third Test - Melbourne

Ponting tormented the Indian bowling attack with a brilliant innings of 257

Australia wanted to restore normalcy to the series but a century opening partnership and a determined 195 by Virender Sehwag powered India. Disappointing performances from others resulted in a below-par score of 366.

A century by Mathew Hayden and another double century by Ricky Ponting helped Australia post a mammoth 558. Anil Kumble bowled his heart out and took 6 wickets. With another listless performance with the bat, Indians managed to score only 286 despite scores of 92 and 73 by Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly respectively.

The disciplined bowling performance by Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Brad Williams and Stuart MacGill ensured Australia only had a target of 95 to get which they did with ease. Negligible contributions from the Indian lower order hurt India while the bowling did not bowl well in tandem and Ashish Nehra disappointed.

With the series level at 1-1, the stage was set for a mouth-watering final at Sydney.

Final Test - Sydney

Waugh's played match-saving innings of 80 runs in his final Test inning

There was much more to the match than a mere final - it was Steve Waugh's swansong. The 'Ice Cool Man' as he was popularly known, was admired for his mental strength, astute leadership skills and gritty batting.

Sourav Ganguly won the toss and with solid contributions from the top order, Indians posted a gigantic 705 - the highlight being Sachin Tendulkar's 241 and VVS Laxman's 178.

With India believing that they had batted Australia out of the match, the lion-hearted Anil Kumble took 8 wickets while Australia managed to score 474 on the backdrop of centuries from Justin Langer and Simon Katich.

With Indians setting a target of 443 in the fourth innings, Australia began aggressively but lost wickets at regular intervals.

Tendulkar scored a double century in the match

Waugh stood between India and the series victory and his defiant innings ensured the Test ended in a draw. The innings was typical of the captain and elicited a standing ovation from the crowd.

The Legacy

The spirit and the will to fight shown by the Indians were applauded all over the country. While Sourav Ganguly rued over few missed opportunities to snatch victory, Justin Langer remarked that no other team had played like the visitors until then.

Anil Kumble whose selection was shrouded in controversy, justified his inclusion with 24 wickets, 10 more than the Australian Stuart MacGill. While Ricky Ponting topped the run chart with 706 runs, Rahul Dravid scored 619.

The highlight of the series was that everyone contributed on different occasions. The young Parthiv Patel kept wickets and scored valuable runs in the lower order. With fast bowlers Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar coming good and the batting line-up proving that it could handle pace and bounce, it was a remarkable performance by the Indian team.

As another series begins, India would be hoping to go a step further and win a series down under. Although the rivals appear weak, India would take Australia lightly at their own peril.