History: India vs Australia

The cricketing relationship between India and Australia traces back to India's pre-Independence era. Post-1947, the two sides have played 72 Tests with India winning 16 and losing 34. Twenty-one matches ended without any result while one was tied.

Here is a brief history of the two cricketing giants of the world.

India's tour of Australia in 1947-48

This was India's first tour after it became an independent state. It was a five-match series with the first Test being played at Brisbane. It was a batting disaster as India managed to score just 58 and 98 runs in two innings in reply to Australia's 382. The highlights of the match were Ernie Toshack's 11-wicket haul and Sir Don Bradman's knock of 185. India made a solid comeback with the ball in Sydney to bundle the Aussies for 107 and drew the second Test. But Bradman returned with a bang in Melbourne and slammed centuries in each innings to guide his side to a 223-run win. Sir Don continued to torment the Indian bowlers in the fourth Test at Adelaide as well. With the help of his double century, Australia piled up 674 runs. Ray Lindwall, who emerged as the highest wicket-taker of the series, picked seven wickets to trample India by an innings and 16 runs. The last Test at Melbourne didn't have a different script and Australia won it by an innings and 77 runs.

Australia's tour of India in 1956-57

It was a three-match Test series that Australia won 2-0. The visitors clinched the first Test at Chennai by an innings and five runs. Richie Benaud picked 7 wickets in the first innings to bundle India for 161 runs. Lindwall took 7 in the second innings. In the Bombay Test, Lindwall led the side in Johnston's absence. India's GS Ramchand was the top scorer with 109 runs. Jim Burke (161) and Harvey (140) helped Australia to 523 for 7 before India dug out a draw, reaching 250 for 5. Eden Gardens staged the last Test. India elected to field and Australia were bowled out for 177 with Ghulam Ahmed taking 7 for 49. But Benaud claimed 6 for 52 to get India for 136. Australia made 189 for 9 in the second innings and set India 213 to level the series. But Indian batsmen succumbed to Benaud (5 for 53) and Burke (4 for 37) and lost by 94 runs.

Australia's tour of India in 1959-60

Unlike the last tour, Australia visited India for a five-match Test series. They started the campaign with a win at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi by an innings and 127 runs. While Benaud picked five wickets, India's Pankaj Roy missed his ton by just one run. The Kanpur Test was India's first win against Australia. Jasubhai Patel, an offspinner picked 9 for 69 and 5 for 55 to bowl India to a 119-run win over the Kangaroos. The third Test in Mumbai was a draw with centuries from Nari Contractor, Norm O'Neill and Harvey. The Aussies bounced back in Madras and beat India by an innings and 55 runs. The last Test at Kolkata ended in a draw and Australia won the series 2-1.

Australia's tour of India in 1964-65

Australia visited India in 1964 sans their heroes - Benaud, Lindwall and Harvey - under the leadership of Bob Simpson. The visitors won their first Test in Chennai by 139 runs. India avenged the defeat in Mumbai as they beat the tourists by two wickets. Bad weather interrupted the last Test and the series was tied 1-1.

India's tour of Australia in 1967-68

India's start against Australia got a severe jolt when their captain MAK Pataudi got injured on the eve of the first Test in Adelaide. India lost the match by 146 runs. Chandrasekhar returned home after he injured himself and Pataudi returned for the second Test in Melbourne. While Ajit Wadekar made 99 in the second innings, Pataudi made 75 and 85 in two innings but their heroics were not enough as Bill Lawry, Ian Chappell and Bob Simpson slammed centuries and Australia won it by an innings and 4 runs. In the Brisbane Test, ML Jaisimha, Chandrasekhar's replacement, made 74 and 101 and off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna claimed a 6-wicket haul but the efforts were not enough to stop the Aussies. They swept the series when they beat India by 144 runs in Sydney.

Australia's tour of India in 1969-70

Australia won the first Test in Mumbai easily by eight wickets. Next in Kanpur, India pulled off a draw with the help of debutant G Viswanath's 137 runs. India followed the Kanpur draw with a 7-wicket victory in Delhi. Bishan Singh Bedi and Prasanna picked nine wickets apiece. Australia bounced back with a ten-wicket win at Eden Gardens. In the final Test at Chennai, Prasanna and Vengataraghavan picked four wickets each but Doug Walters' 102 and Ashley Mallett's 10-wicket haul guided Australia to a 77-run victory. Australia won the series 3-1

India's tour of Australia in 1977-78

This was the time when Australia were slowly emerging as the new superpower of cricket after West Indies and a win against them on their soil was no child's play. Though India lost the five-match series but they managed to win two Tests. Gavaskar slammed centuries in the first two Tests at Brisbane and Perth but could not prevent successive defeats. Gavaskar struck his third century in Melbourne and Chandrasekhar picked six wickets to take India to a 222-run victory. The series was levelled at Sydney but Australia won the decider in Adelaide.

Australia's tour of India in 1979-80

For the first time India won a series against Australia 2-0. The Chennai and Bangalore Tests were drawn. India's all-round performance got them a 153-run win at Kanpur. In the third Test at Delhi, Gavaskar, Viswanath and Yashpal Sharma slammed centuries. The match ended in a draw followed by another draw at Kolkata. India sealed the series with a thumping win at Bombay. Centuries from Gavaskar and Syed Kirmani were followed by good bowling from Kapil Dev. India won by an innings and 100 runs.

India's tour of Australia in 1980-81

The hosts won the first Test at Sydney by an innings and 4 runs. India managed a draw in Adelaide. But they won the controversial Melbourne Test. G Viswanath slammed a ton. Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan were building a crucial partnership when Gavaskar was given LBW off Denis Lillee. Gavaskar was not convinced and in protest asked his partner to follow him to the dressing room. He later apologized. India won the match by 59 runs.

India's tour of Australia in 1985-86

This series was drawn without any side winning any of the matches. It was a high-scoring series but none of them could produce any result. Melbourne slipped from India's clutches as rain interrupted when they were 59-2 while chasing just 100.

Australia's tour of India in 1986-87

The first Test of the series went down in history as only the second match to be tied. Maninder Singh was declared LBW off the last ball with scores levelled. The match is also remembered for Dean Jones' 210. The second Test in Delhi was hampered by rain and ended without producing any result. The last Test in Bombay witnessed four centuries but failed to give a result.

India's tour of Australia in 1991-92

With the last two series not producing one-sided results, this series generated a lot of excitement but the hosts whitewashed the series 4-0. Bruce Reid and Craig Dermott ripped the Indian batting at Brisbane and Melbourne. But Sydney saw a well-crafted knock of 148 from a 19-year-old genius called Sachin Tendulkar. Shane Warne made his debut but Ravi Shastri went after him and scored a double century to quarry a draw. Australia won the last two Tests at Adelaide and Perth. Sachin ended the series with another century in Perth.

Australia's tour of India in 1996-97

This was Sachin Tendulkar's debut as captain and though he failed to score, India won the one-off match series 1-0. Anil Kumble was instrumental in India's victory as the Aussies fumbled in reading his leg spin. He picked nine wickets but wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia walked away with the 'Man of the Match' award for his 152 runs, his only Test century.

Australia's tour of India in 1997-98

Australia toured India without their bowling spearhead Glenn McGrath and paid the price with a series defeat. The Tendulkar-Warne contest added spice to this series. In the first Test at Chennai, Warne dismissed him cheaply in the first innings but the master blaster spanked him in the second innings and scored an unbeaten 155. His heroic knock backed by some good bowling from Kumble and Venkatapathy Raju took India to a 179-run win. Captain Mohd Azharuddin led from the front with a brilliant 163 and took his side to victory in Kolkata. Australia had a consolatory win in the Bangalore Test despite a dazzling knock of unbeaten 177 runs from Tendulkar.

India's tour of Australia in 1999-00

The Kangaroos avenged the series defeat when India toured Australia in the summers of 1999, whitewashing the series 3-0. If Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh shone with the bat in Adelaide, debutant Brett Lee made his presence felt in Melbourne picking a fiver. Tendulkar hit 116 and 52 but could not save his side from a 180-run defeat. In the final Test at Sydney, the pace duo of Brett Lee and Glen McGrath tested India's famed batting line-up and had the last laugh.

Australia's tour of India in 2000-01

Australia were on a winning spree before they toured India in 2000. With 16 consecutive wins, they termed this their Final Frontier and started their campaign with winning intensity. They won the Mumbai Test within three days. The Kolkata Test was swinging well in their favour when a 'Very Very Special' knock of 281 from Laxman and Rahul Dravid's 180 gave India hope. Captain Sourav Ganguly vested his confidence in young offie Harbhjan Singh who turned the Aussie hopes upside down and the series was levelled. In Chennai, Harbhajan became India's trump card as he picked 15 wickets and gave his side a sensational two-wicket win.

India's tour of Australia in 2003-04

India went Down Under riding high on their 2000-01 series win and the World Cup success, but experts felt that wasn't enough. Cricket pundits wrote them off but Ganguly led from the front hitting 144 at Brisbane. Though the match ended in a draw, it was just a glimpse of what was to follow. Come Adelaide and the world witnessed a determined performance by Rahul Dravid whose knocks of 233 and an unbeaten 72 gave India a win on the Australian soil after 22 years. The hosts won the Boxing Test in Melbourne despite Sehwag's blitzing 195 runs. The final Test at Sydney was also Steve Waugh's last international outing. India frustrated the Aussies piling up over 700 runs. Tendulkar struck an unbeaten 241 but the man of the moment was Waugh who played a solid knock of 80 runs and pulled off a draw. India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australia's tour of India in 2004-05

With Steve Waugh walking into the sunset, Australia toured India under a new leader, Ricky Ponting. They won the Bangalore Test by 217 runs with debutant Michael Clarke slamming 151. The Chennai Test was washed out and the cricket caravan moved to Nagpur. The pitch resembled an Australian track and visitors relished it. They conquered the Final Frontier with a win. India salvaged some pride at Mumbai as their spinners Murali Kartik and Harbhajan Singh bundled the World Champions for just 93 runs in the second innings to pull off a 13-run victory.

India's tour of Australia in 2007-08

India's last visit Down Under was marred by controversies. Australia won the first Test match in Melbourne, their ninth successive win at MCG. The second Test was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. An ugly spat between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds, and umpiring errors eclipsed the thrilling match. After reconciliation between the two sides, cricket once again took the centre stage. Perth hosted the third Test. Known to be the world's fastest pitch, WACA was termed the graveyard for the Indians but the tourists swung it the other way. Skipper Kumble celebrated his 600 Test wickets with a 72-run win.

India made two unique records with that win. First, it became the only team to win a Test in Australia since 2003-04 (no team beat Australia after India's Adelaide win), and second, it became the only side to stop Australia from winning 17 consecutive Tests twice (they did so in 2000-01) in the history of the game. The last Test at Adelaide ended in a draw.