Ajit Agarkar's 6-42 in 2003 Adelaide Test makes it to top 20 spells bowled in Australia

Former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar finds himself in an exclusive top 20 club churned out by cricket.com.au. To commemorate the start of a new decade, the website is chronicling the top 20 bowling efforts witnessed ‘Down Under’ between the years 2000 and 2020. Ajit Agarkar, who represented India in 26 Tests, was placed at No.6 by Cricket Australia for his match-winning spell in the 2003 Adelaide Test match.

Also Read | Sourav Ganguly Better Than MS Dhoni, Ricky Ponting In Captaincy: Mashrafe Mortaza

Ajit Agarkar’s match-winning 6-42 sets up dramatic Australian collapse

During the 2003-04 season, Team India toured Australia for a four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly. While the first Test ended in a draw after Sourav Ganguly's gritty 144, the Australian batsmen plundered runs at will against the Indian bowlers in Adelaide, scoring 556 on the back of Ricky Ponting’s 242.

Chasing a massive first-innings total, the Indian batting faltered and abated to 85-4 at one stage, thus leaving Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman to stage a colossal rescue effort for the title holders. The two batsmen orchestrated a 233-run alliance to reduce the first-innings gap between the two teams and save India from what seemed as a certain follow-on at one stage.

The Australian batsmen, enjoying a 33-run first-innings lead, came out to bat for their second innings as the match was heading towards a high-scoring draw. The then captain Sourav Ganguly handed the new ball to Ajit Agarkar, who immediately made an impact upfront. He accounted for the wickets of Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting at the top before sending Simon Katich back to the pavilion as well. Ajit Agarkar then returned late in the innings to demolish the Australian tail and bundled out the hosts for just 196.

Also Read | Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting’s Tactics Turned Delhi Capitals' Fortunes Around In 2019: Shreyas Iyer

Ajit Agarkar 6-42 in landmark Indian win, watch video

Ajit Agarkar’s 6-41 off 16.2 overs handed India a 230-run target on Day 5. Rahul Dravid ensured there were no hiccups in Indian run-chase by scoring an unbeaten 72 off 170 balls. Interestingly, it was Rahul Dravid who was named as the ‘Player of the Match’ for his scores of 233 and 72* despite Ajit Agarkar’s spell that turned the tide in India’s favour.

Also Read | Ricky Ponting Gives Me Full Freedom At Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant

Also Read | Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman's Eden Gardens 2001 Fightback OTD Makes Twitter Nostalgic

Image credit: Cricket Australia YouTube