VVS LaxmanAdelaide: V V S Laxman and Rahul Dravid scripted a familiar story at the Adelaide Oval yesterday.
Three seasons ago, Kolkata Kudos sent Australia scurrying out of their theatre of dominance to face reality. After the loss in Mumbai, India bounced back to win in Kolkata despite following on.
Another victory in the third Test in Chennai and Steve Waughs dream of becoming the first captain to win a series in India since Bill Lawry in 1969-70 was washed away.
Kolkata Kudos came to haunt Australia yesterday as the duo put on 303 runs to chip away at Australias chances of winning this Test in a canter. Much to the surprise of the critics, India is still undefeated on this tour.
Was it a case of been here before, Dravid was asked. In certain ways it was. I wouldnt say it was familiar because we both were unbeaten at the end of the day then. So, it was a little different (from Kolkata). But yes, the partnership brought back some pleasant memories, he replied.
Dravid made up in a way for his disappointing performance on the last tour, ending the day one run short of becoming only the second Indian to score a Test double hundred in Australia. Ravi Shastri, the sole Indian to do so, waited to say welcome to my club.
But grit prevailed over flamboyance and Dravid played safe to end the day unbeaten on 199. He would sleep well nevertheless, he insisted.
Rahul Dravid
The India vice-captain decided to be Mr Cool on this tour. He put far too much pressure on himself and ended up getting suffocated with lofty ambitions last time round.
After I failed in the first innings at Brisbane, I surprised myself that I was not so hassled about it, said Dravid. John Wright (coach) told me that it does not matter if you dont get runs in Australia. You are still a good player and still average a lot. So that is the attitude I went out with and enjoyed myself.
Dravid is a sucker for inspiration. In the dressing room, I hoped that my name would end up being on the list of Test hundreds by visiting batsmen, he revealed.
Laxman was quick to dispel any suggestions that he and his partner spoke about their mega partnership in Kolkata. We never spoke about it. But during the lunch break, some of our teammates were goading us to repeat our Eden performance.
At the post match briefing, his mind went back to the days when he used to open the innings and his failures at the top. Not opening the innings helped me to become more consistent.
Ever since I returned to the middle order, I have been doing well, Laxman said. Two hundreds in his last four Tests against Australia must have pierced Waughs heart. But he shouldnt be surprised. India has always been more than a prickly opposition in both forms of the game in recent years.
This Test is far from over and despite the theatrics of Dravid and Laxman, Australia could well end up having the Indians soiled in beautiful Adelaide.
But as of now, the Indian sun refuses to set.
Yeh down under ki baat hai!
I just did not want to lose another wicket today. We had lost Parthiv Patel and Ajit Agarkar already and Jason Gillespie was bowling well. More than the runs, this was more critical. It is better to bat the extra hour-and-a-half in this innings rather than doing it in the fourth innings.
It is a good wicket and is playing well at the moment. You never know how it behaves at the end of the fourth and fifth day. History tells us that it tends to be up and down. We would like to get as close as we can and put some pressure on them.
I am not doing anything different in my game. I have four (more) years of experience in the game and have witnessed a few ups and downs. I know myself better now.
India vice-captain Rahul Dravid on the days proceedings and the tour so far
Partners in prime
The Adelaide Test saw the sixth century stand between V V S Laxman and Rahul Dravid in 48 Tests that the two have figured in together. In the process, the pair also crossed the 1000-run aggregate while playing together.
Following are the century-partnerships between Dravid and Laxman in Tests, arranged chronologically
Laxman 
Dravid Partnership: 376
Venue: Eden Gardens 2001-02
Opposition: Australia
Dravid: 180
Laxman: 281 Partnership: 105
Venue: Mumbai 2002-03
Opposition: West Indies
Dravid: 100*
Laxman: 45 Partnership: 119
Venue: Georgetown 2001-02
Opposition: West Indies
Dravid: 144*
Laxman: 69 Partnership: 130
Venue: Ahmedabad 2003-04
Opposition: New Zealand
Dravid: 222
Laxman: 64 Partnership: 116
Venue: The Oval 2002
Opposition: England
Dravid: 217
Laxman: 40 Partnership: 303
Venue: Adelaide 2003-04
Opposition: Australia
Dravid: 199 (batitng)
Laxman: 148
