'However great my performances or India's performances were, we couldn't actually win that series.'
Batting great Rahul Dravid hailed the Indian team's 'terrific achievement' of winning two consecutive series in Australia, but his iconic knock of 233 during the Adelaide Test in 2003 still remains a fan favourite.
He followed his first innings heroics with an unbeaten 72 in the second innings, helping India claim a memorable four-wicket victory at Adelaide Oval, on December 16, 2003 -- their first Test win on Australian soil in 22 years.
Reflecting on his knock, the former India captain admitted that he still regrets not winning the series.
"I'm grateful for it, but I wouldn't have voted for myself, put it that way. Probably, I've got a lot of recency bias as well," he told Star Sports.
"I think the way India has performed in Australia over the last two series in particular -- winning series there -- that counts for a lot.
"However great my performances or India's performances were, we couldn't actually win that series. We came close, but we couldn't get the wickets on the final day in Sydney that we needed.
"The last two teams that have gone to Australia have done that, and that's a fantastic achievement -- a terrific achievement -- and there have been some absolutely sensational performances right through those."
Dravid in the company of V V S Laxman rescued India after they were reduced to at 85/4, especially Australia had amassed a huge 556 in their first innings. Laxman stroked 148 as the duo put on a splendid stand of 303 runs for the fifth wicket to lead India's strong reply with the bat.
Fast bowler Ajit Agarkar, then claimed 6/41 in the second innings, to bowl out Australia for 196 in their second innings before India chased down 230 as Dravid steered them home.
The 51-year-old also looked back on the incident when he was involved in the run out of captain Sourav Ganguly.
"I was thinking, 'I've got the captain run out. I better do something meaningful.' It was totally my mistake getting Sourav (Ganguly) run out. I will own up to that one -- it was my mistake.
"But, I think you're just trying to bat, you're just trying to build a partnership, you're just trying to get to the target.
Dravid recollected how he and Laxman loved batting with each other.
"The thing with Laxman and me is that we had batted together a couple of really big partnerships before that. We did it once in Kolkata in 2001 and even in a domestic game when we first played South Zone against West Zone.
"So, we had kind of batted a lot together and built this partnership. Not that we were thinking about that when we got out there, but I think the idea was really just to bat and try and build partnerships, stitch something together."
"It's always nice batting with Laxman as well... Because he's just a beautiful player to watch and such a lovely player.
"He really attacked back, which, in some ways, complemented me quite well in how we went about our innings," he recalled as Indian won the Adelaide Test by four wickets but the 2003-04 series in Australia ended in a 1-1 draw.
