India vs Australia: 4 best Test matches in the last decade
The Indian and Australian Cricket teams have simply dominated world cricket over the past decade. While the South African cricket team and the England cricket team were stronger in the latter half of the first and early parts of the second decade, especially in Test cricket, India and Australia have picked up the mantle from thereon.
Indian cricket team players like Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Australian cricket team players like Steven Smith, David Warner and Mitch Starc have been the standout performers in the test arena. So, naturally, the India vs Australia cricket matches, whether home or away, turn out to be riveting contests. The Eden Gardens test match in 2001 and the Mohali Test in 2010 were just two examples of a long list of fierce battles between the India Australia cricket teams.
In this article, we look back at some of the best Test matches played between the Indian and Australian cricket teams. Most of the games picked have taken place in the recent past, indicating a decrease in the difference between the two sides.
4. Australia vs India, 3rd Test, Melbourne, 2018-19
This India Australia cricket match is best remembered for the coming of age of India’s fast bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in Test match cricket. The series was beautifully poised at 1-1 coming into the 3rd Test, with the Indian cricket team winning in Adelaide while Australia triumphed in Perth.
Both Steve Smith and David Warner were absent for Australia as they were banned for their roles in Newland’s ball-tampering saga and the Australian cricket captain was Tim Paine. The Indian team batted first and made 443 runs in the first innings, with Pujara scoring a century and Mayank Agarwal and Virat Kohli registering half-centuries.
Jasprit Bumrah took 6/33 to dismiss Australia for just 151, paving the way for an Indian victory. Though the Indian cricket team made just 106 in the 2nd innings, the target proved to be too much for Australia.
3. India vs Australia, 1st Test, Pune, 2017
The Australian cricket team that travelled to India in 2017 was labelled as the worst Australian side in history to tour India. But proving their doubters wrong, Australia pulled off a massive 333-run win in Pune in the first Test to shock Virat Kohli and the Indian cricket team.
Australia batted first and made 260 on a rank-turner, while India in reply could muster only 105 runs in their first innings. The second innings probably saw one of the best Test innings played by a visiting batsman in India. Australian cricket team captain Steve Smith provided a batting masterclass to make 108 runs on an absolute minefield in Pune. The Indian cricket team were all-out for 107 in the 2nd innings with Steve O’Keefe picking up match figures of 12/70.
2. Australia vs India, 3rd Test, Sydney, 2020-21
Perhaps the greatest series victory in the history of the Indian cricket team was the Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2020-21. After a humiliating loss in the 1st Test, India bounced back brilliantly to win the 2nd Test match and level the series.
Having won the toss and batted first, Australia made 338, with Steve Smith scoring a brilliant hundred. India was skittled out for 244 to hand a lead of 94 runs to Australia. Australia cricket team once again piled on the runs in the 2nd innings, making 312 runs with Smith and Labuschagne registering half-centuries.
India was set a target of 407, with more than 6 sessions left in the test match. Rohit Sharma made a useful half-century but India was reduced to 102/3. Rishabh Pant led India’s fightback with a brilliant counter-attacking knock and he was well foiled by Cheteshwar Pujara.
India was 250/3 at one stage, gunning for a shock victory, but both Pant and Pujara were dismissed for 97 and 77 respectively to hand Australia the advantage. With victory out of sight, Indian cricket team players Ravi Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari joined hands to provide an incredible rearguard effort and Indian a draw.
Vihari batted for 161 deliveries with a torn hamstring while Ashwin batted 128 balls with a back spasm and couldn’t run. This will go down as one of the best rearguard actions in the history of the Indian cricket team.
1. Australia vs India, 4th Test, Brisbane, 2020-21
The Indian cricket team came into this game with more than 10 players missing from the squad due to various reasons. The entire bowling attack had to change, with Natarajan, Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar making their Test debuts. Mohammed Siraj, who was playing in just his 3rd test, was the leader of the bowling attack while Sundar was playing his first first-class game in 3 years.
India was in dire straits and the match was being played at the Gabba, where Australia haven’t lost a test in 32 years. Having won the toss and batting first, Australia made 369, with Marnus Labuschagne scoring a hundred. India in reply scored 336 aided by an incredible 123-run partnership of 123 runs for the 7th wicket between Sundar and Shardul Thakur.
Australia scored 294 to set a target of 328 runs for the Indian cricket team. Shubman Gill made a brilliant 91 and it was Rishabh Pant who once again denied the Australians victory. Pant made 89 and Pujara scored 56 to leave the Australian cricket team players shell-shocked.