A lifetime in a day

The atmosphere was electric at the Adelaide Oval © Getty Images

7.30am I wake up with nervous excitement. To hell with neutrality - history beckons brave India, but Ganguly's men would know that the last mile is the most treacherous. The refrain among the experts has been that the team mustn't cloud their minds by thinking about the outcome. Easier said from the press box, of course.

9.30 It's burning hot, 37.7 in the sun and not a cloud in sight. I sneak a peek at the pitch before being shooed away by a security guard. The grass is burnt down; there are a few cracks, but at the centre of the pitch; there are plenty of black spots around the fast-bowlers' footmarks. "It will not worry the Indians," says Wasim Akram, who is out with Ravi Shastri for the pitch report.

9.40 The Indian team betrays no traces of nervousness and engages in a fun game of volleyball out on the ground. It's batsmen versus the bowlers, and though they are all equally lousy, they compete with childlike enthusiasm. It is part of the team ritual now, and this morning, it is an excellent antidote to pre-play tension. I try making small talk to John Wright. "Go away," he says sharply. "We are working here."

10 Tendulkar prefers to skip the nets, and knocks around a few gently lobbed balls from Shivlal Yadav on the ground. Next to him is Akash Chopra, facing up to Greg King. The nets are light. Harbhajan Singh is bowling seam-up from a bizarrely funny run-up. Bruce Reid shows skill and control, beating Sehwag a couple of times off a short run-up. Wright is chucking them short and sharp to Ajit Agarkar.

11 Andy Bichel starts the business with a bouncer. It's so far down the leg side that David Shepherd is moved to call it a wide.

11.08 First runs off the bat, a steer behind point by Chopra.

11.23 The moment Australia has been waiting for since last evening finally arrives. Gillespie fires it full and straight and traps Chopra lbw. But Chopra has done his job.

11.38 The first boundary of the day, a cracking drive from Sehwag between cover and mid-off.

11.52 Rahul Dravid's first four, a glorious cover-drive off Brad Williams.

11.56 For the first time in the morning, Gillespie strays down the leg side and Sehwag cashes in with a delectable flick off his hips for four.

11.59 Australia's big moment of the morning comes ... and goes. Williams, bowling with pain, draws Dravid out into no-man's land and the edge flies to Adam Gilchrist's right. The ball thuds into his gloves and pops out. These Australians have been gracious enough to return favours. Ponting, dropped by Sehwag early in the first innings, responded by reprieving Laxman. Now it's Gilchrist, who had been let off in the second innings, doing the same. More frustration for Williams as he beats Dravid twice in the next three balls to end a sensational over.

12.01pm Stuart MacGill is introduced and he starts round the wicket to a leg-side field. His tactics are obvious: he will be preying on the patience of the Indians instead of trying to spin them out.

12.09 A superb piece of umpiring from David Shepherd. Williams digs it in short and Dravid takes evasive action, but the ball is lower than he has anticipated and flies to first slip off a deflection. The Australians look aghast as Shepherd points to the forearm, but he is spot on. Replays show it was a skilful leave by Dravid, who managed to drop his wrists sufficiently. Sport is cruel. All the work of the previous day would count for nothing more than statistics if India failed to win.

12.17 Sehwag jumps wide of leg to thump MacGill over his head for four. It takes him to 47, the score at which he was dismissed in the first innings.

Sehwag's rush of blood cost him his wicket © Getty Images

12.19 Sehwag loses his head and his wicket. A premeditated charge ends in a swish in the air and the bails are off in a flash. The ball is shorter than the one he hit for six, and turns a mile. Sehwag's greatest ally, it is said, is his uncluttered mind. On the evidence of his stroke, it is tempting to call it a vacant mind. There is a hush and then a loud cheer as Sachin Tendulkar walks out to redeem India and his batting form.

12.29 Tendulkar's first scoring shot is a paddle-swept four to fine leg. He executes it beautifully, swivelling into position, covering his stumps, waiting for the ball, and slapping it hard to the ground, fine enough to beat short fine leg.

12.42 A groan goes out around the ground as Gillespie, back for his second spell of the morning, walks off with a troubled groin.

12.46 Tendulkar's second four off MacGill is a cracking back-foot square-drive. He ends the over with an expansive off-drive and scampers the first all-run four of the Indian innings, bringing up the hundred. The Swami Army finds its voice.

12.54 It's Simon Katich from the North End, bowling to mid-on, midwicket, deep square leg and fine leg. The line will be outside the leg stump. Tendulkar hasn't had a happy time against left-arm spinners, though Katich bowls chinamen.

12.58 Waugh gives himself the last over before lunch and a huge cheer goes up. Gilchrist is standing up, wearing a helmet. It's been a great session so far. The cricket has been attritional, tense and absorbing. The match is still open.

1.46 There's excitement as Ricky Ponting makes a spectacular attempt to hold on to a fierce pull from Tendulkar. On another day, he might even have caught it. Waugh has sacrificed his slips to post four men on the leg. Gilchrist is still standing up.

1.53 Dravid drives Waugh down the ground for a rare four to long-off.

1.57 Tendulkar has failed to put away three full-tosses from MacGill so far, but does justice to a short one, pulling it to the midwicket boundary. The Swami Army is swaying to a familiar rhythm: "Saaachiiin, Saaachiiin ..."

2.02 For the first time in the day, MacGill switches to bowling over the wicket. There's a sweeper at cover, but still three men on the leg side. Three balls into the over, a fielder is summoned from leg to be posted at silly point.

Sachin Tendulkar hardly looked out of form © Getty Images

2.06 Williams, showing no signs of pain, replaces Waugh. To his second ball, Tendulkar rises on his toes, rolls his wrists over the top of the ball and sends it speeding to the backward-point boundary. The next ball is cover-driven for three. One off the back foot, one off the front foot, it's all falling in place now.

2.17 Indian hearts sink as Tendulkar commits another fatal error of judgment and is out lbw. He shoulders arms to a ball from MacGill which pitches on middle and straightens. It's a beautiful piece of deception, but it must be galling for a batsman of such positivity to be dismissed twice to passivity.

2.39 The temperature has now soared to 39 degrees Centigrade. A tense moment for India, as Australia appeal for a catch at silly point, to a Ganguly prod. But it's off the pad and Rudi Koertzen has spotted it. The running between the wickets has been tentative, but the shouts of "No" have been emphatic. MacGill's been bowling well, but Ganguly has put away a full-toss for a four.

3.00 Another huge blow for India as Ganguly falls, out for the millionth time playing away from his body with an open face. Katich takes the catch diving forward at gully. It wasn't the greatest ball, but is just reward for Bichel for bowling full and straight. The pitch has started misbehaving now. Balls are beginning to stay low. It's up to Dravid to deliver.

3.09 Laxman eases the nerves with three glorious fours off MacGill. The first one is driven through the covers, the second eased past midwicket with magical flick of the wrists, and the third one is a cut past point. MacGill has got away with a lot of loose balls today, but Laxman is a batsman of amazing confidence. Waugh will need to take a call on MacGill now.

3.15 Dravid brings up his half-century with a pull to midwicket. His has been a monumental contribution in this match so far. But he knows that more than anyone else that his job isn't done yet.

3.17 Waugh's last throw of the dice - bringing on Katich at MacGill's end.

3.23 MacGill switches ends. Laxman, all majesty and skill, eases him to the cover boundary. There is six metres of space between short cover and cover. But Laxman finds the space. Masterful, exclaims Ian Chappell.

3.25 Katich is a picture of abject misery after bowling a full-toss to Laxman, which meets its inevitable fate. As many as 33 runs have now come in the last 25 minutes. Time is now running out for Australia.

3.32 A waltz down the wicket from Laxman to Katich, the ball is met on the full and dispatched to the cover boundary. Laxman has now hit six fours in his 29 and Australian spectators are despairing.

3.37 Dravid bisects cover and mid-off for another four. There's the odd shout of "Come On Aussie" in the stands, but the Indian celebration has begun in earnest.

3.40 Tea is called. As the players disperse, so do many Australian spectators. Does Waugh believe in miracles?

4.05 Good Lord, is there a twist? Laxman, after playing with poise and unhurried grace, attempts an uncharacteristic heave and is caught at midwicket. A helmet is summoned as the Australians crowd around Parthiv Patel.

4.12 Parthiv eases three runs to deep cover, and the runs required are down to six now. Waugh is lost in thought at deepish cover, looking down, perhaps wondering how the script of this series, which began with a hailstorm of publicity over his farewell, has gone awry.

4.20 Dravid nudges a single to midwicket and throws a punch in the direction of the dressing-room. The scores are tied.

4.21 Parthiv attempts a sweep at glory and is bowled. It is fitting that the winning run must come from Dravid's bat.

4.23 The day has seemed like a lifetime, and Rahul Dravid makes it worth living with the winning hit. If there has been a more significant batting performance by an Indian abroad, we haven't read about it. The Indian dressing-room erupts. Ganguly is out on the ground, locking Dravid in a deep embrace. Ajit Agarkar has managed to grab three stumps to Dravid's one. Anil Kumble is at the ground with his camera, chants of Ganpati Bappa are evoked and a bhangra breaks out on the other side of the ground. Dravid goes through the players' gate with a smile that words can't describe. A few quick steps, and he disappears into the players' lounge. He's been on the field on all five days, batting on four of them. But most vitally, he has been there to secure history. Numbers wouldn't matter to him today. He's been a winner.