cricket:image:1459287 [1400x788]
cricket:image:1459287 [1400x788] (Credit: ESPNcricinfo Ltd)

Pace and bounce of the Highveld adds spice to high-octane series

As we build up to the upcoming five-Test series, ESPNcricinfo, Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar are inviting you to help us identify India's best individual Border-Gavaskar Trophy performance in Australia in the 21st century. The contest began with 16 iconic performances, and now only two remain. All you have to do is vote at the bottom of the page to pick the winner of the final.

Rahul Dravid - 233 and 72* in Adelaide, 2003

India win by four wickets, lead series 1-0

Long before Rahul Dravid was immortalised for revealing that he too had the ability to yell his head off, he was immortalised for having the ability to yell his head off and also punch the air. The image of him doing so as he hit the winning runs in Adelaide almost 20 years ago is part of Indian cricket history. It was only the fourth time they had ever won a Test match in Australia - and their first victory since 1981 - and they had to come from behind to do it. From way behind, 556 runs to be exact. But Dravid kept whittling away at it, wearing Australia down not once but twice. Finally, after 12 and a half hours at the crease, scoring more runs than he has ever done or will ever do in a single Test, it made perfect sense that he would be there at the end, soaking in the Adelaide sunshine, teeth gritted, arms up high, the personification of triumph.

Dravid's heroics in that match gave India a 1-0 lead, in a series they went on to draw in Australia for the first time since 1985.

Round of 16: Dravid's 233 & 72* beat R Ashwin's 3-57 & 3-92.

Quarter-final: Dravid's 233 & 72* beat Sachin Tendulkar's 241* & 60*.

Semi-final: Dravid's 233 & 72* beat Jasprit Bumrah's 6-33 & 3-53.

Watch the highlights of these performances on the Star Sports network at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm IST, from November 12 onwards.

Rishabh Pant - 89* in Brisbane, 2021India won by three wickets, and the series 2-1

All the things that didn't make sense on this tour - India all out for 36, their three jillion injuries, the hassle of cricket in quarantine - found meaning when Rishabh Pant began to play the innings of a lifetime. He was 23 and he helped obliterate a record that had stood for way longer than he'd been alive. Australia's undefeated streak in Brisbane was 32 years old when it was finally laid to rest. "This is one of the biggest things in my life right now," Pant said after a performance that proved just how dangerous a batter he could be when he adopts even the smallest bit of restraint.

Chasing 328 at the Gabba - 324 on the final day - India still needed 161 runs with about 43 overs to go when Pant walked in at No. 5. He got going, and kept going, even as wickets fell and the overs ticked by. Eventually, with only minutes left on the clock, he lashed Josh Hazlewood down the ground to accomplish one of the greatest series wins in Test history.

Round of 16: Pant's 89* beat Ajit Agarkar's 6-41.

Quarter-final: Pant's 89* beat VVS Laxman's 167.

Semi-final: Pant's 89* beat Virat Kohli's 115 & 141.

Voting closes at 11pm IST on November 15. The winner of this match-up will be decided by the total votes cast on polls conducted across ESPNcricinfo, Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar platforms.