India vs Australia : Top 5 T20 clashes of modern day rivals

In these tough times as the world is struggling to recover from the deadly pandemic, the world of cricket has come up with yet another reason for the fans to rejoice in these tough times. After an electrifying season of Indian Premier League, it is time for one of the biggest contest in modern-day cricket. It is time to fasten our seatbelts as the titans India and Australia gear up to clash. And with both the sides brimming with world-class players we are up for a thrilling tour as the stalwarts fight it out across formats.

With just days away from the first series of the tour, the T20 series. Let’s relive the best of the games between the modern day rivals in the format.

5. India thumps the Kangaroos at the iconic MCG

Trailing in the three-match series, Australia skipper Aaron Finch put India to bat first in the second game of the series. And that is where everything fell apart for the hosts. India were off a rollicking start as Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan put up a humongous opening stand of 97 in the first 10 overs. To top off a perfect innings, Virat Kohli joined the party and propelled his side to a daunting total of 184 with an unbeaten 59 off 33 balls.

In reply to the brilliant batting performance by India, Aussies came with a 94 run opening stand of their own. But the counterattack couldn’t last long as Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Shaun Marsh in the 10th over. That is where all hell broke loose for the Kangaroos as a flurry of wickets saw the Australian innings go up in flames. Skipper Finch held one end strong only to succumb to the scoreboard pressure in the 16th over as India rounded up an all-round performance with a 27 run victory. With the win, India took an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the series before they clean swept the series in the final game.

4. Krunal Pandya tames mighty Aussie lineup

In a series where Australia struggled against the left-arm wrist spin of Kuldeep Yadav, the hosts took to the field with a determination to stand their ground against the chinaman spinner. Choosing to bat first, Australia were off to a rollicking start as the opening stand of Aaron Finch and D’Arcy Short raced to 65 off the first 8 overs. It was Kuldeep who dealt the first blow as he sent Finch packing. As the Kangaroos tried to navigate their way through Kuldeep’s overs cautiously, they planned to attack his partner in crime Krunal Pandya but to no use.

Under pressure, Pandya flourished as he wreaked havoc through their middle order with four wickets. Pandya’s stupendous display of spin bowling meant Australia were restricted to a below-par total of 164.

The total proved to be a cakewalk for India as they rode on impressive knocks from Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli. The hosts tried to claw back their way into the game to two successive wickets not once but twice. Yet, Kohli’s match-winning knock of 61 meant India chased down the total comfortably with 6 wickets and two balls in hand.

3. India decimates Australia to book maiden WT20 final spot

A clinical performance by the young Indian side saw them go through to their maiden T20 World Cup final as they decimated Australia by 15 runs. Choosing to bat first, India put up a huge total of 188 on the board. Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa‘s steady knocks at the top gave India the start they needed. Capitalising on the fabulous start, Yuvraj Singh‘s explosive 70 and MS Dhoni‘s quickfire 36 towards the backend propelled India to the humongous total.

The story was more or less in the second innings as Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden gave the Kangaroos a great start. While Gilchrist perished early, Hayden went on to score big before he perished for 62. It was India’s disciplined bowling attack which kept the power-packed Australian line up in check with regular wickets. The pacer trio of S Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan and Joginder Sharma picked up two wickets each as the Aussies lost the game by 7 wickets. India eventually went on to lift the T20 World Cup that year, their one and only till date.

2. Maxwell’s fifty helps Australia seal last ball thriller

The two-game T20 series in 2019 kicked off with a low scoring thriller in Vizag. Put to bat first, India put up a horror show of with the bat as only three batsmen crossed the double-digit mark. Opener KL Rahul‘s blistering 50 off 36 balls and handy contributions from skipper Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni saw the hosts wriggle to a modest total of 126. On a slowish pitch, Nathan Coulter-Nile ran through the Indian middle-order with his three wickets.

The visitors were no better as they were down 2 wickets down with just 5 runs on board. But a level headed partnership between D’Arcy Short and Glenn Maxwell meant the Kangaroos clawed into the game. Maxwell strolled to his half-century and Australia were in total control of the game. That is when Yuzvendra Chahal foxed Maxwell who was caught at long-off. Jasprit Bumrah was quick to capitalise as he scalped two successive wickets in the penultimate over of the game leaving 14 runs for Umesh Yadav to defend in the final over. But it was no good as Yadav failed to defend 14 runs in the final over as Australia sneaked over a last-ball victory.

1. Virat Kohli sends Australia crashing out of WT20 2016

India went into the 2016 T20 World Cup as the favourites but found themselves in a tough spot at the fag end of the group stage. The hosts faced Australia in a virtual quarterfinal in their final group game. Batting first, Australia put up a decent total of 160 on the board. And were off to a fabulous start defending it as they choked the Indian batsmen from the word go. Young Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh rose to the occasion as they stitched a crucial 45 run stand to steady the ship.

Yuvraj’s wicket in a crucial put India was in a bit of a fix as they required 39 off the last 3 overs of the do or die game. But Kohli who was scoring at will came to his side’s rescue. The young Delhi batter exploded on James Faulkner as he took him for 19 runs before he sent Nathan Coulter-Nile to the cleaners scoring 16 runs in the penultimate over of the game. Skipper MS Dhoni did the rest as he sealed a semifinal spot for his side with a boundary. Kohli was adjudged man of the match for his explosive knock of 81 which turned the tables on mighty Aussies.

Also read : India tour of Australia: Indian players touch down in Australia following conclusion of IPL 2020