There is always a sense of added incentive when the Men In Blue gear up to face the Kangaroos across the continent. Add the intrigue of World Cup to it, you have got the perfect blend of anticipation and exhilaration.
India and Australia have carved a niche for themselves when it comes to the most illustrious competition in the sport. These two nations will square off for the 12th time in the World Cup, highest by any two countries in the history of the competition, with Pakistan and West Indies, a close second with 11 encounters between the two.
As the two heavyweights take the field on Sunday at The Oval in a battle for supremacy, let’s have a look at the Top 5 World Cup clashes between the two.
5. India vs Australia; 1983 World Cup; Chelmsford
In the journey to World Cup success 36 years before, the Indian side faced the Australians two times after being drawn in the same group. The first encounter saw the Aussies batter the novice Indians by a huge margin in Nottingham.
However, the second time around, the Indian team had a fitting reply up their sleeves. Batting first, the side stuttered to a total of 247 with no one crossing 50. Yashpal Sharma top scored with 40 to his name while 37 extras aided the eventual champions’ total.
Chasing the total, the Australians were demolished by the gentle medium pace of Madan Lal and Roger Binny who ended up with 4 wickets apiece. Barring Allan Border, no batsman could settle in, giving India a memorable victory by a margin of 118 runs.
The victory was crucial as it set India’s tone and rhythm before their knockout matches.
4. India vs Australia; 1996 World Cup; Mumbai
Hosting the World Cup for the second time, expectations heaved on the home side after a disappointing outing in the previous edition of the competition.
After two victorious outings against Kenya and West Indies, the Indian squad headed into the fixture brimming with confidence. While Australia had a wobbly start after forfeiting their first clash due to safety concerns.
The stark difference in the background did not matter as the clash brought out the best in both the teams. Mark Waugh’s stellar hundred paved way for a formidable first inning total before a lower order collapse brought India back into the contest.
The chase began on a sour note for the hosts as they were reduced to 7-2, with the home star Vinod Kambli falling for a duck while Ajay Jadeja endured a nightmare during his time in the middle during his 17-ball 1 run knock.
Sachin Tendulkar and Sanjay Manjrekar steadied the chase before Mark Waugh came into the game yet again to pick up the vital wicket of the Master Blaster for 90 via a smart stumping, this, however, would not be the only instance where Tendulkar got himself stumped in the tournament. The tail tried to push things through but were no match for Damien Fleming’s masterclass with the ball. Fleming eventually ended up with a five-wicket haul to hand a 16-run victory for the Aussies.
3. India vs Australia; 1987 World Cup; Chennai
The two teams dished out an absolute classic at the same venue the year before the World Cup encounter. The memories of Dean Jones battling the heat to eventually tie the test still languished over the contingents.
Heading into the match, the famed opening pair of Boon and Marsh gave Australia a lavish start. While Marsh went on to score a hundred, contributions from the middle order propelled the Aussies to 270.
India, in their pursuit of the total, were well on course to victory after Gavaskar’s explosive start combined with the fifties from Srikanth and Sidhu. However, their untimely dismissals put a huge toll on the middle order. With just 70 required off the last 15 overs with 8 wickets in hand, fortunes swung in a hurry to the other side courtesy of Craig McDermott. The equation at the near end of the innings required India eight off the last over.
It was anguish all over again for the hosts as Steve Waugh managed to castle Maninder Singh to cherish a memorable victory.
India went on to qualify for the semi-finals where they lost to England while Australia managed to go all the way to claim their first of their five World Cups.
2. India vs Australia; 2011 World Cup; Ahmedabad
Prior to this clash, India, and Australia never squared off in a knockout clash in the World Cup. The pressure of the World Cup being held in India and the prospect of thwarting an Aussie side that had been dominating since the turn of the century was more than enough to get the Indian side going.
The Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad played host to the clash between the colossal titans. Ravichandran Ashwin opened the bowling for the hosts and got the first breakthrough as well by cleaning up Shane Watson. Despite getting wickets at regular intervals, it was a familiar nemesis in the form Ricky Ponting that got in the way again.
The Aussie captain, heading into the twilight of his career, scored a sublime hundred to set a target of 261 for the Men In Blue.
The fifties from Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir set the tone for the Indian chase, but falling wickets and the increasing run-rate piled up pressure on the side. The task of achieving the target rested on the shoulders of the in-form Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina after the dismissal of MS Dhoni.
Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina picked their moments and targetted the bad deliveries to inch closer to the total. It was not until an outside edge which raced to the boundary that the Indian fans could finally breathe. The image of Brett Lee with blood trickling down is imprinted as it was the moment where the Australian dominance was put to rest.
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India vs Australia; 1992 World Cup; Brisbane
Facing the Aussies in their own backyard has always been a daunting task. After their narrow defeat in their previous encounter, India was looking to avenge the same.
Despite a brilliant outing by the pacers Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar, Dean Jones snuck away with a well-made 90 and helped the side to a total of 237-9.
The match was reduced to 47 overs due to rain with the revised total set as 236.
A lethargic start to the chase which saw Srikanth depart for a 10-ball duck and Shastri play a sluggish knock. It was although made up by a sensational inning by Mohammad Azharuddin, who scored 92.
Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev chipped in with a few runs before their dismissal. But the dent came in the form of frantic run-outs which claimed the set batsmen Azharuddin and Sanjay Manjrekar.
With 13 required off the final over, Kiran More’s twin boundaries helped the case before hazy running claimed victims yet again. The equation reduced to 3 runs to win off the last ball. Javagal Srinath managed a huge heave to midwicket where Waugh was stationed.
A spillage on the boundary allowed the pair to run the second run, but Venkatapathy Raju was dismissed on his pursuit for the third run. The Australians edged once again by one run to leave the Indian hearts in anguish.
Will there be an addition to this list after their encounter at The Oval? We’ll have to wait in order to find out.
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