Cricket holds one of the longest histories of rivalry ever. These rivalries see players and fans take each game like the last they would ever play. However, some specific teams are known for their exclusive clashes in the history of the sport. When on the field, these teams draw the most attention from fans in the stadium and fans at home. For instance, India and Pakistan are well known for their long-lasting rivalry on and off the field. Other known rivals include “the Ashes,” “India vs. South Africa, Bangladesh vs. Zimbabwe, etc.
Another notable rivalry with an interesting history today is the Australia-India long-lasting cricket rivalry. Both teams are known for their notable clashes when they meet across several formats and tournaments across the sport. Hence their matches draw massive viewership and betting action from fans and punters alike. You can visit https://pari-match.in/en/page/cricket-australia-vs-india for the best odds on matches of both teams.
The start of this rivalry is quite blurry, but it has been passed on from one team to another. However, it is safe to say that this rivalry stems from the fact that each team wants to prove to the other which is better.
The teams’ records
Both teams come from cricket-loving nations and hold outstanding records in the sport. This could be the reason for their intense clashes. Here are the number of times both teams have bowled for each format of the sport:
- Test – 120 times
- ODI -143 times
- T20 – 26 times
In the 120 Tests that both teams played, India won 30 matches, Australia won 43 times, 28 matches ended in draws, and 1 match had no results. The ODI matches records state that India has won 53 matches and Australia won 80, while ten matches ended with no results. The T20 matches ended with India winning 15 times, Australia winning ten times, and 1 match had no result. While these records show Australia to be the more dominant team, the matches between the two teams are always tough and not a walk-over for either.
How it All Began
As mentioned before, Australia and India have always had very solid cricket teams and fine players, which gives fans and followers some uncertainty over match results. Thus, like in any other sport, it is safe to say India’s rivalry with Australia was because they were both dominant forces in the sport.
In the early 80s, Australia was the known giant until the Sunil Gavaskar-led India team challenged them in their home. In 1985, Kapil Dev of India also nearly won the Test Series against the Aussies in their own home. Also, the 1987 World Cup match between both teams almost ended in a tie, but Steve Waugh saved the day as he entirely knocked India out.
India paid back when they won Australia by 56 runs in New Delhi’s 1987 ODI Series. In 1992, Australia gave India a knockout margin of one run. Since the 1992 knockout, Australia had dominated India in their home matches.
The 1999-2000 India tour of Australia ended with Australia winning all three matches in the Test Series. However, India took over the Kolkata test in 2001, flooring the Aussies in their Test match, with VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid crowned the men of the match. Since the Test, India has continually proven itself as a force for Australia to reckon with, fueling the rivalry between both teams.
The Sport Events
It’s always been a tough fight between the two rival teams. India’s victory over Australia around the 2000s could be traced to Sourav Ganguly, who captained the team then. Ganguly is renowned for his resilience in most of his games. He met Australia with so much heat. His fighting spirit moved down to the entire team members as they drew Australia in Steve Waugh’s farewell Test. Australia, in return, met the Indian team in their India tour of 2004, and they won the four-match test series 2-1, with one draw. This was their first Series win on the indian turf in a long while.
In the first T20I world cup in South Africa in 2007, India’s captain, MS Dhoni, bowled out Australia in the semi-finals and won the trophy for his team. This was a significant win for India, considering the rivalry history. However, the 2007-2008 India tour of Australia did not favor India as it ended in a 2-1 win for Australia with one draw. The MS Dhoni-led Indian team again went against Australia in the finals of the Commonwealth Bank series, in which the captain won India’s first tri-series in Australia. Again, in 2008, India won over Australia with two scores in the Test series.
Both teams met again in the 2011 World Cup in the most important quarterfinals ever. However, everyone could bet that Australia would win the match until India’s Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina took the show away for their team.
In the 2012 ICC T20I world cup, Australia bowled out India. However, India returned stronger in 2013, winning the four-match Test series 4-0, a clean sweep etched in history forever. The same year, India also won against the Aussies with the help of Rohit Sharma in the ODI five-match series with a whopping 3-2 score. The T20I World Cup in 2014 had India knock out Australia, winning with 73 runs. India had gone unbeaten in the 2015 world cup in seven matches until they met Australia in the semifinals, further adding to the feud between both teams. India would have created a record that year by winning the trophy if only the Aussies didn’t kick them out before reaching the finals,
Conclusion
One major result of the long-lasting cricket rivalry between India and Australia is the quality matches fans witness when both teams clash. Today, players of both teams still can’t bear losing to each other; hence they put on outstanding grit and performances. Over the years, both teams keep proving that cricket is worth every love we give it. You can visit Parimatch for amazing odds and betting markets on cricket or any other sport.