Rahul Dravid's 305 runs helped India beat Australia in Adelaide on Dec 16, 2003: WATCH

All eyes will be on Indian skipper Virat Kohli as we head into the India vs Australia 1st Test match tomorrow. This will be Kohli's last match for the side before his paternity leave kicks in and India are left without one of their strongest personalities. With this in mind, it will be paramount for the Men in Blue to win the 1st Test and carry that confidence over into the rest of the series. Hoping to repeat the historic Test series win of 2018-19 in Australia under the leadership of Virat Kohli, the Indian team can turn to another captain who laid the path for India's successes Down Under.

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Dravid's match-winning performance in 2003

On this day in 2003, former Indian captain Rahul Dravid took on a mighty Australian side comprised of some of the best names in Australian cricket - including current coach Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, and Adam Gilchrist - and helped India go up 1-0 in their four-test series. The first match of the series had ended in a draw. Dravid made just 44 runs in both innings combined. 

The second Test of the series - at the same Adelaide Oval where Kohli and co. will take the field tomorrow - saw the hosts set India a mammoth target of 556 courtesy of Ricky Ponting's brilliant knock of 242. Following then skipper, Sourav Ganguly's run out, India were 4-85 in just 20.3 overs. With Dravid still fresh in the middle, out came another senior statesman famous for his gritty Test knocks - VVS Laxman. And the slogging began. By the time Laxman was caught by Gilchrist in the 115th over, he left Dravid - and India - at a much better 5-388. 

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From there on out it was a Dravid masterclass. The Wall stuck in there for a mindblowing 594 minutes - 9.9 hours - finishing the innings with 233 from 446. Despite this, India could not go over the Aussie's total, ending with 523 runs. A magical 41-6 spell by Ajit Agarkar was at the root of an Australian batting collapse in the second innings, which left India a final target of 230 runs to get from little more than a day's worth of play. Once again, Dravid was the star of the show, hitting the winning runs and ending his innings with 72*. India lost the next Test and drew the last one, ending the Test series in a 1-1 draw. 

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How to watch India vs Australia live?

The India vs Australia 1st Test match will be televised live on Sony SIX, Sony TEN 1 and Sony TEN 3 channels in India. The match can also be streamed live on the SonyLIV app and website. The 1st Test is scheduled to start at 9:30 am IST from the  Adelaide Oval on December 17. 

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Image Credits: PTI