AUS vs IND: 5 most memorable ODIs between India and Australia from recent history

It has always been interesting to watch India locking horns against Australia in a cricket match. The two teams are known to provide ample entertainment to the fans and leave the fans on the edge-of-their-seats irrespective of the format they are playing; Test, ODI cricket or Twenty20 cricket. Over the years, the viewers have been a witness to some thrilling encounters between the two nations. Here’s a look at five most memorable India vs Australia One Day Internationals from recent history:

5th ODI of the seven-match series, Hyderabad (2009)

Winning the toss, the visiting Australia racked up a humongous target of 350 on the board on the back of a stunning century (112) by Shaun Marsh. Shane Watson and Cameron White also did their job as they smashed 93 and 57 respectively. Chasing 351 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, India had an explosive start as both Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar started firing from the very first ball. However, the Aussie bowlers launched an assault on the batters as India was quickly reduced to 162/4. Though the wickets kept falling from the other side, Tendulkar held his fort and played a brilliant knock of 175 runs off 141 deliveries. India had almost chased the huge target but with 19 runs to get, Tendulkar lost his wicket and was soon followed by Ravindra Jadeja and Praveen Kumar. The visitors eventually won the thriller by 3 runs.

5th ODI of the five-match series, Sydney (2016)

India was at the risk of getting whitewashed in the five-match One Day series against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, however, Manish Pandey’s heroics in the fifth match ensured that the team won the last game. Batting first, the hosts posted a target of 330 on the board as David Warner and Mitchell Marsh smashed 112 and unbeaten 102 runs respectively. India had a decent start as Rohit Sharma scored 99 while Shikhar Dhawan also added 78 runs to the scoreboard. However, the two batters along with Virat Kohli soon lost their wickets. This was when Manish stepped up to bring in his maiden ODI hundred. The right-hander smashed the ball all over the park and scored 104* off 84 balls with the help of eight fours and one six. He also stitched a 94-run stand with captain MS Dhoni to take India home.

4th ODI of the 5-match series, Mohali (2019)

India needed just one victory to seal the ODI series after getting whitewashed in the T20I series. They were at the brink of winning the 4th match of the five-match ODI series in Mohali, however, the all-rounder Ashton Turner became an overnight hero as he helped the visitors win the game by 4 wickets. Winning the toss, the hosts racked up a massive target of 358 on the board as the opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan collected a 193-run stand in 31 overs. Chasing 359, they were 229-4 in 36.1 overs. However, Turner shattered India’s bowling attack as he went on to smash 84 runs in 43 deliveries. His quickfire innings helped visitors win the match with 13 balls left and level the series by 2-2.

ICC World Cup Quarter-final, Ahmedabad (2011)

India and Australia were up against each other in the quarter-finals of the ICC 2011 World Cup. The captain Ricky Ponting smashed a scintillating century (104 off 118) to take his team’s total to 260 in a do-or-die game. In reply, India received their first hiccup in the 9th over as Virender Sehwag lost his wicket. After that, though Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar smashed a half-century each, India were reeling at 187/5 in 37.3 overs. That was when Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina joined hands to help their team qualify for the semi-finals. Yuvraj played a man-of-the-match innings by scoring 57 runs. He was aptly supported by Raina who smashed 34 runs in 28 deliveries to take India home.

2nd ODI of the 7-match series, Jaipur (2013)

The Indian team was involved in a high-scoring thriller against Australia at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The Australian team, led by George Bailey posted a target of 359 on the board. The captain scored 92 runs off 50 deliveries while Phillip Hughes also added 83 runs to the total. For India, two batting mainstays, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma led from the front as they smashed a century each. The opening pair of Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan scored 141 off 23 and 95 off 86 balls respectively. Virat, who walked in to bat at Number 3, registered the fastest ODI hundred by an Indian to date (100 runs off 52 deliveries) to take India home in 43.3 overs.