1. Mankad becomes more than a name (1947)

It’s the mode of dismissal that provokes desperate, heated argument whenever it’s (rarely) deployed — the running out of the non-striker by the bowler as he runs in to bowl.

The Mankad dismissal is named after Indian player Vinoo Mankad, a stylish opening bat and orthodox left-arm spinner, who dismissed Australian batter Bill Brown twice during India’s tour of Australia in 1947.

During a practice match at the SCG, Brown was taking liberties as the non-striker to gain a yard as Mankad ran in to bowl. First, Mankad warned Brown and beckoned the Queenslander back into his crease. But the second time, as he was perfectly entitled to do under the laws of the game, he removed the bails.

It wasn’t the first time it had been done — records showed the tactic existing as far back as the early 1800s.

But when Mankad did the same thing, to the same batter, at the same ground a few days later in an official Test match, the move got international attention.

Bill O’Reilly and Don Bradman both said Brown was at fault for trying to steal a yard and, for years there was remarkably little controversy. How things change.

2. India and Australia’s women sit school Test (1977)

Some 58 women’s Test matches had taken place before Australia met India for the first time, at the inauspicious surrounds of the Hale School in Perth’s west.

Australia made 266 in their first innings after winning the toss, with number six batter Elaine Bray top scoring with 86. 

India was then rolled for just 122, and the Aussies piled on the pressure, declaring their second innings at 1-152 after half centuries to openers Margaret Jennings (57) and Lorraine Hill (74).

Chasing 297 to win, a half century from skipper Shantha Rangaswamy was not enough as Raelee Thompson took 4-41 as India was bowled out for just 149.

3. Simpson leads Aussies decimated by World Series (1977)

It’s fair to say that 1977 was a seismic year for Australian cricket. 

The World Series Cricket grenade had cause the cricket war to explode, ripping all of Australia’s biggest names bar Jeff Thompson out of contention for official Tests as they defected to play in Kerry Packer’s Super Tests.

While the Australians and the West Indians met at a sparsely populated VFL Park, Australia and India played the first Test at the Gabba, led by the recalled 41-year-old Bob Simpson.

Simpson top scored in the second innings in Brisbane as the Aussies won a tense encounter by 16 runs.

A win at the WACA saw Australia leap out to a 2-0 series lead before India hit back with big wins at the MCG and SCG.

However, Captain Bob stood up in the final Test at Adelaide Oval, scoring 100 and 51 as the Aussies claimed a 47-run victory to seal a 3–2 series win. 

4. Dean Jones’s miracle 210 (1986)

It’s the sort of innings that establishes a batter into sporting folklore — and does untold damage to their body in the process.

So much has been written about Dean Jones’s innings, where he toiled and broiled through the impossible heat in Chennai, chided by his skipper as being a “soft Victorian” for wanting to quit and, reportedly, remembering nothing much after he passed his century.

It wasn’t Jones’s only remarkable moment for Australia, but inarguably the most dramatic as he became the first Australian to score 200 in India, all while battling full-body cramping, vomiting and, when he reached the 170s, unable to stop himself urinating in his playing kit.

“He would hit me for a boundary, go to mid-wicket, vomit, come back, do that again. It was amazing,” India spinner Maninder Singh said of Jones, who lost 7 kilograms during the Test.

Jones eventually collapsed in the sheds and needed to be put on a drip in hospital to recover as the two sides, in his absence, played out one of the most extraordinary of Test matches to a thrilling conclusion.

5. The (other) tied Test (1986)

This was only the second time that a Test has ever finished in a tie.

Australia made a monster 7-574 in the first innings, thanks to that double hundred from Dean Jones and tons to David Boon and skipper Allan Border.

India captain Kapil Dev added a hundred of his own but saw his side concede a 177-run first-innings lead, and would be set a target of 348 to win the Test.

And they were looking pretty good, Sunil Gavaskar scoring 90 to put India on 2-204.

But then India faltered, falling from 6-331 to be all out for 347, as Greg Matthews completed his five-wicket haul by trapping Maninder Singh LBW, with spinner Ray Bright taking the other five.

6. Teen Tendulkar arrives in Australia (1992)

He was just 18 years old, but Sachin Tendulkar was already 11 games and two years into his Test career when he arrived for his first tour of Australia in the summer of 1991.

With a match-saving unbeaten ton in England to his name, he was shaping as a masterful batter with potential almost unmatched among his peers, and that was all on show in his third-Test performance.

Opener Ravi Shastri scored 206 — his highest Test score — but it was Tendulkar that shone brightest in their 196-run fifth-wicket stand at the SCG, withstanding the Australian bowlers to remain not out on 148 as India established a first-innings lead.

It was the first of his six centuries in Australia during an unrivalled 21-year span.

That SCG Test was memorable for one other young player, who made his bow for the hosts, but it was far from auspicious.

7. Warne ‘smashed’ in SCG debut (1992)

Shane Warne’s start to his international career in the third Test at the SCG in 1992 was less glamorous than his legendary Test career would suggest.

Australia’s bowling attack was diminished when lanky left-arm opening bowler Bruce Reid was cut down by a side strain after just four overs, leaving Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes and the 21-year-old Warne as the only frontline bowling options against a rampant Ravi Shastri and Sachin Tendulkar.

“I got smashed to every single part of the Sydney Cricket Ground,” Warne said almost 20 years after that day.

Warne bowled 45 overs and finished with 1-150, but he did nab the wicket of India legend Shastri, caught at deep cover by Victorian teammate Dean Jones.

“Well, I’ll never play again, but at least they can’t take that away from me,” Warne said of his feelings after that day.

Fifty per cent right, Warnie.

8. Tendulkar takes down Warne (1998)

The best batter in the world taking on the best spinner in the world led to one of the most anticipated battles within a battle during the first Test of Australia’s 1998 Tour of India at Chennai.

First blood decidedly went to Warne, having Tendulkar caught by Mark Taylor at slip for just 4 as India was bowled out for 257. Warne took 4-85.

Australia established a 71-run lead after its first dig (Tendulkar caught Warne off the bowling of Anil Kumble during that innings, as an aside) before the Indians erased that to be 2-115 as Tendulkar came to the crease.

Warne was immediately called upon to bowl as Tendulkar came out — and Tendulkar blew him away.

Adopting an open stance to counter Warne’s turn from the rough, and playing the ball devilishly late, Tendulkar toyed with Warne to score 155 not out off 191 balls — his strike rate of 81.15 was best of any batter bar Sourav Ganguly, whose 36-ball cameo preceded a declaration of 4-418.

Warne ended with innings figures of 1-122 from his 30 overs.

Australia was then bowled out for 168, handing India a commanding victory. 

9. Desert Storm (1998)

A nondescript ODI has to be pretty special to make a list like this, but this round-robin clash in the Sharjah Cup probably counts.

Australia managed 7-284 in the day night match in Sharjah thanks to an unbeaten 101 from Michael Bevan.

India needed to win or only lose narrowly qualify for the final, which was set to be played on ANZAC Day just a couple of days later. Otherwise, it would be New Zealand who would meet the Aussies.

Soon after India began its chase, a sandstorm stopped play, reducing India’s target from 285 to 276 in 46 overs.

After the resumption, Sachin Tendulkar stepped up to the task, blasting 143 from 131 to put India within touching distance.

Although they ultimately fell short, Tendulkar used that innings as a springboard in the final at the same venue, hitting 134 in 131 balls to hand India a six-wicket victory with nine balls to spare.

10. Ten-duck-ar (1999)

There wouldn’t be a list of memorable moments between these two nations without at least one debatable umpiring decision.

In the fourth innings of the Adelaide Oval Test of 1999, with India 3-27 chasing 396 to win, India captain Sachin Tendulkar was facing Glenn McGrath, who intimated that he would pepper the little master with a smattering of short bowling.

McGrath came steaming in and pitched the ball short, so Tendulkar ducked, but the ball didn’t get up as much as expected and struck him on the back of his shoulder.

After deliberating, umpire Daryl Harper raised his finger to dismiss Tendulkar for a five-ball duck.

India was all out for 110, giving Australia a 285-run victory and an open can of worms about the use of home umpires in Test matches.

So, was it out? Decades before ball tracking, it’s hard to tell, but on closer view you could be convinced that the ball would have clipped the stumps.

11. Brett Lee’s five on debut (1999)

It’s the stuff of dreams. 

Boxing Day. The MCG. A fresh baggy green in your possession. And five Test wickets on debut.

Brett Lee, replacing Michael Kasprowicz in the side, burst into the Test match arena with a sparkling 5-47 in Melbourne in 1999, including the wicket of opener Sadagoppan Ramesh with just the fourth ball of his 76-Test career.

It was his first of 10 five-wicket hauls and set him on the path to 310 scalps at Test level.

Sadly, intermittently poor weather meant that just 23,127 spectators came through the gates on what was day three of the Test to see Lee’s exploits.

12. Harbhajan’s hat-trick (2001)

Australia was looking in pretty good shape in the second Test of the 2001 series at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

The Aussies were, in fact, cruising along very nicely at 4-252 with Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh in the middle.

But Harbhajan Singh was in no mood to let the Aussies streak away.

He had Ponting LBW for just 6, before repeating the dose to Adam Gilchrist (0) the very next ball — although an inside edge should perhaps have ended the sequence in its tracks. 

In came Shane Warne but he was caught by Sadagoppan Ramesh at forward short leg for another duck to give India its first Test hat-trick.

13. Laxman and Dravid’s Kolkata heroics (2001)

Despite Harbhajan’s hat-trick, things were not looking great for India in the second Test of the 2001 series at Eden Gardens.

Australia had scored 445 in its first innings and then bowled out India for just 171 in reply.

Given India was still trailing by 274 runs, Australia skipper Steve Waugh enforced the follow-on.

Enter VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid.

The pair came together with India still trailing by 42 runs, but piled on a whopping 376-run partnership, with Laxman scoring a magical 281 and Dravid 180 as they batted all the way through day four.

India eventually declared on 7-657 and, thanks to young offie Harbhajan Singh’s 6-73 and Sachin Tendulkar’s leg spin, ripped through the Aussies to claim a memorable 171-run victory, taking seven wickets in the final session to end Australia’s record winning streak at 16 Tests.

14. Hayden sweeps India aside (2001)

It might seem crazy to think now, but there was a time when big country Queenslander Matthew Hayden was not an automatic selection at the top of the Australian batting line up around the turn of the century.

Before Australia toured India in 2001, Hayden averaged just 24.36 from his 13 Tests and had scored just one century.

However, on that tour of India, Hayden scored 549 runs at an average of 109.80, an Australian record for a three-Test series.

Hayden became a master of the conditions, sweeping his way to mammoth scores and establishing himself as the go-to opener for years to come.

15. Ponting conquers India and the world (2003)

Sourav Ganguly must still think about his decision to make Australia bat first although in truth, he’d rather his bowlers had just been better on a pitch that was doing enough.

Instead, their faulty radars allowed Adam Gilchrist (57 from 48) and Matthew Hayden (37 from 54) to put on 105 runs in just 14 overs.

With a platform like that, Ricky Ponting didn’t need a second invitation.

Whacking 140 from 121 balls, the Australian skipper put on a then-ODI record 234 run partnership with Damien Martyn (88 from 84), who was batting with a broken thumb.

Australia’s 2-359 was its highest ever ODI score at the time — and India wilted under the pressure of the chase, bowled out for 234 and handing Australia a record 125-run victory and their second consecutive Cricket World Cup win.

16. Ricky Ponting’s twin double tons (2003)

When you’re on, you’re on, and during the 2003 home series against India, Ricky Ponting was very much on.

After plundering 242 in the first innings in Adelaide, Ponting backed up by smashing what would remain his highest ever Test score of 257 in the following Test in Melbourne.

Both those innings come with contrasting memories.

The first ended in defeat, a second innings, 17-ball duck from Ponting part of a dismal collapse that saw Australia fall to 196 all out.

But at the Boxing Day Test, Ponting returned to form, leading Australia to a 192-run first-innings lead and a series-levelling nine-wicket win.

Ponting’s innings was very much needed in Melbourne, after Virender Sehwag hit a wonderful opening day 195 from just 233 balls.

Had it not been for a second-morning collapse from the tourists, it was an innings that could — and perhaps should — have put India in a position to win the second Test and take a 2-0 series lead.

17. Steve Waugh bows out with 80 in his final Test innings (2004)

A battler until the very end, Steve Waugh had to show all of his grittiness to help Australia salvage a draw in his final Test innings.

Chasing a nominal 443 to win at the SCG, Australia was wobbling at 3-170 when the skipper came to the crease during the afternoon session on the final day, a wobble exacerbated when Ricky Ponting was out to leave Australia at 4-196.

But Steve Waugh was not one to let nerves get the better of him, not in his 168th and final Test match.

Waugh batted for almost three hours for a 159-ball 80 to settle the Aussies and give the 27,056 fans in attendance one final, fitting memory of one of Australia’s greatest.

18. Pup bursts onto the scene (2004)

A young New South Welshman becoming Australia’s golden child is a well-worn cliché, and Michael Clarke fit the mould perfectly — frosted tips, soul patch, diamond stud and all.

But the 23-year-old immediately proved even the most ardent critics wrong and warned the world Australia’s golden era might continue with his debut in the first Test of Australia’s 2004 tour of India.

Stepping into the massive shoes of the injured Ricky Ponting, Clarke walked to the crease with Australia teetering at 4-149 and went about putting his country on top with a majestic 151 in trying circumstances.

First he shared a 106-run partnership with future antagonist Simon Katich, then paired with skipper and fellow centurion Adam Gilchrist for 167 runs to lay the platform from which Australia launched itself to victory.

He was named player of the match in the opening win and went on to score 400 runs across the four Tests at a series-topping average of 57.14.

As an appetiser for his future exploits, Clarke also took 6-9 in 32 balls with his left-arm finger spin to bowl India out for 205 and give Australia a chance in the final Test at Wankhede, although a final-innings collapse saw them fall 14 runs short of their 107-run target.

19. Gilchrist leads Australia to series win in India (2004)

Winning a Test series in India is hard. Really hard.

But Australia, under the captaincy of Adam Gilchrist — standing in for Ricky Ponting — managed to do just that in 2004, claiming a 2-1 series victory.

It all started with debutant Michael Clarke’s 151 in Bengaluru as Australia romped to a 2017-run victory.

Then, Damien Martyn’s brilliant 210-ball 104 across over four-and-a-half hours in the third innings of the match in Chennai helped salvage a draw heading into the aforementioned third Test in Nagpur.

India salvaged some pride in a low-scoring victory by 13 runs at the Wankhede in the Mumbai fourth Test, as Australia claimed a magnificent series win — one of just two teams that have managed to do so on Indian soil over the past two decades.

20. Karen Rolton rolls India in their first World Cup final (2005)

It may have been India’s first appearance in a Women’s Cricket World Cup final, but it was far from being Australia’s first rodeo — and it showed.

Belinda Clark won the toss and opted to bat, but before long the Aussies were 2-31 and then 3-71.

Karen Rolton though, steadied the ship, scoring a brilliant unbeaten 107, putting on 139 for the fourth wicket with Lisa Sthalekar.

Set 216 to win, India crumbled to be all out for 117 as Australia completed a 98-run victory.

It could have been so different for India though. Rolton had been dropped by Amita Sharma when she was on 60.

21. Michael Clarke’s three late wickets at the SCG (2008)

When Ricky Ponting threw Michael Clarke the ball late on the final day at the SCG, the Australian skipper admitted it was “the last roll of the dice”.

Five balls later, Clarke had 3-5 and Australia had claimed a record-equalling 16th Test win in a row.

“Michael Clarke’s got the golden touch,” Ponting said of his young Pup, while man of the match Andrew Symonds described Clarke as “comfortably one of the luckiest blokes I know”.

Clarke picked up the last three wickets from only five balls as Australia sneaked home to take a 2-0 series led with just minutes remaining in the match.

India will point to some horrible umpiring decisions that went against them — including Rahul Dravid being given out caught off his pad and a contentious catch by Clarke himself to remove captain Sourav Ganguly.

Clarke said there was “not a chance in hell” that he thought Australia could win the game — “I think that’s why Punter threw me the ball” he said.

“India, though, did really well to fight as they did.”

Scant consolation, unfortunately, in a match that would forever be remembered for other reasons than the phenomenal finish.

22. Monkeygate (2008)

The lowest point of India-Australian relations on the cricket pitch.

A bad-tempered clash at the SCG was embroiled in further controversy when Harbhajan Singh was alleged to have called Andrew Symonds a monkey.

With Singh slapped with a three-game ban by match referee Mike Procter, the BCCI spat the dummy and threatened to pull out of the tour.

Sachin Tendulkar, who was batting with Singh at the time, said his teammate had used an offensive Hindi term, but not a racist one.

Australia’s players said that had not been the case.

An appeal against the ban found that Singh had not racially abused Symonds and would be permitted to play, to the fury of Australia’s players, who felt let down by Cricket Australia.

After his retirement, Symonds said the events had an enormous impact on him, shortening his international career.

23. India end’s Australia’s four-peat quest (2011)

Australia was going for four Cricket World Cup titles in a row. 

India was looking for its first World Cup triumph since the days of ODIs being played in whites and Lord’s World Cup hegemony.

But, thanks in no small part to Yuvraj Singh’s 2-44 with the ball and unbeaten 57 with the bat, India roared into the semifinals of their home World Cup.

Chasing 260, India made the total with 14 balls to spare thanks to half centuries from Singh, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir.

It was India’s first World Cup win over Australia in 24 years and helped India to a first triumph since 1983.

24. 19-year-old Meg Lanning hands India its biggest ODI defeat (2012)

Meg Lanning will go down as one of Australia’s greatest ever captains, but before she took charge of the national side, she was earning her stripes with some sublime innings, and there were few better than her magnificent 128 off just 104 balls at the Wankhede stadium.

Her powerful hitting — Lanning his 19 fours and a six in her innings — propelled Australia to a total of 7-300 in their 50 overs.

India had no chance.

Ellyse Perry took 5-19 and India was bowled out in just 27.1 overs for a paltry 79 runs, handing Australia a 221-run victory — and India its biggest ever ODI defeat.

25. Michael Clarke’s 329no in the SCG’s 100th Test (2012)

It is so easy to forget that Australia was in something of a hole when Michael Clarke strode to the crease at the SCG.

The hosts had been reduced to 3-37 thanks to an inspired spell of bowling from Zaheer Khan, after India had been bowled out for 191.

The 100th Test at the historic Moore Park ground appeared set to be a short one.

Until Michael Clarke entered the chat.

Assisted by 134 from Ricky Ponting and 150 from Michael Hussey, Australia’s skipper batted over 10 hours for his unbeaten 329 as Australia declared on 4-659.

India was better in its second innings, scoring 400, but that was still not enough to make Australia bat again. 

26. Clarke and Ponting double up in Adelaide as Virat shows his promise (2012)

Skipper Michael Clarke scored 210, former skipper Ricky Ponting 221, and Australia’s batters once again pummelled India’s woeful bowling attack to all corners in Adelaide.

Australia’s two most recent skippers piled on a record-breaking 386-run partnership at Adelaide Oval to help Australia to an insurmountable total of 7-604 in the first innings.

India, as they had so many times prior in this 2012 season, wilted under the pressure of Australia’s attack.

Indeed, only one man managed to stand up to the uncanny accuracy of Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus. Virat Kohli.

Kohli’s 116 was the only sign of resistance as India’s old guard struggled to make any impact.

27. David Warner’s emotional knock, Smith and Clarke dedicate tons to Phillip Hughes (2014)

It was always going to be a difficult Test, as India arrived just weeks after the untimely death of former Test opener Phil Hughes.

So when David Warner scored his century in the first day at Adelaide Oval and looked up to the sky, there was no doubt who was on his mind.

“That was definitely for him today,” Warner said.

“He was at the other end when I scored my first 100 and I dedicated that 100 to him today. It’s been an emotional week for us all and I know he’d have been proud of us today.

“I knew the little man up there was with me at the other end and it all fell into place.”

Warner had earlier looked upwards, raising his bat a tough, when he reached 63, the score Hughes was on when he was struck down in a Sheffield Shield match.

“It was something that was in the back of my mind, it’s going to be a special number for all of us for many years to come,” Warner said.

28. Virat Kohli vs Mitchell Johnson (2014)

You wouldn’t like either of them when they’re angry — and boy did the temperature rise on the third day of the MCG Test in 2014.

With Virat Kohli battling brilliantly on his way to a third-successive century, Mitchell Johnson thought he saw an opportunity to run the firebrand batter out, picking up the ball in his follow through and flinging it back towards the stumps.

Unfortunately, Kohli was in the way and was struck on the back.

There was no response immediately — until Kohli hit the next ball for four and then squared up to the Queenslander, letting fly with a few verbals, before blowing a couple of kisses at him a short while later.

Quite a few, in fact — he didn’t stop talking even throughout the post day’s press conference.

“I respect a few of them but if someone doesn’t respect me, I have no reason to respect him,” a “really annoyed” Kohli said after the day’s play.

“They were calling me a spoilt brat,” Kohli added. 

“I said: ‘Maybe that’s the way I am — I know you guys hate me and I like that.'”

Kohli had scored 169 runs before Johnson eventually got him out. Honours even?

29. Aussie spinners weave their magic in Pune (2017)

Winning a Test match in India is extraordinarily tough — unless you’re a modern vintage Black Caps side, apparently — but Australia made it look easy in Pune, winning by 333 runs.

What was so impressive about this result though was that it was spinners Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe that out-spun India.

O’Keefe took 6/35 in both innings, with Lyon adding five wickets of his own across the match as India was bowled out for just 107 in the fourth innings.

O’Keefe’s match figures of 12-70 were, at the time, the 10th best in the history of Australian Test cricket.

30. Handscomb and Marsh bat all day to save Australia in Ranchi (2017)

Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb were Australia’s last chance to save the Ranchi Test.

Steve Smith had just shouldered arms to leave Australia 4-63 and still 89 runs short of making India bat again.

But, 62 overs later, Marsh and Handscomb were still at the crease, having erased any chance of India forcing a result.

Their fifth-wicket stand was worth 124 runs, but it was always more about the balls they used up as Australia hung on for a hugely commendable draw after India had plundered 603 runs in their first innings in response to Australia’s 451.

31. Harmanpreet Kaur stuns Aussies in World Cup semifinal, kicking off revenge tour (2017)

Australia’s women don’t often miss out at World Cups, so it goes without saying that it needs something pretty special to knock them off their perch.

And Harmanpreet Kaur’s onslaught in Derby certainly qualifies as being pretty special.

The Indian skipper blasted 171 not out off just 115 balls to launch India into the final against England, their tally of 281 in a rain-reduced 42 overs enough to beat Australia by 36 runs.

Kaur, with a strained shoulder, hit her first fifty off 64 balls, her second off just 26, and her third in 17. It was power hitting of the highest quality.

Spurred on by the disappointment, Australia ran through the next three World Cups (two T20s and a 50-over edition) as their dominance hit new heights.

32. Tim Paine vs Virat Kohli, the stump mic edition (2018)

“I know he’s your captain, but you can’t seriously like him as a bloke.”

So started an impressive back and forth between India and Australian skipper Tim Paine in Perth, all captured by the stump microphone.

That sledge, delivered by Paine to Murali Vijay, was just the opening salvo, as Paine and Kohli got into each other the following day.

Umpire Chris Gaffaney attempted to keep the peace, reminding both skippers that they were, in fact, captains of their national teams and not exchanging barbs in the school playground.

But it was to no avail as the fractious relationship between the two sides took another turn.

33. Poonam Yadav bamboozles Aussies (2020)

Australia had understandably high expectations heading into their home T20 World Cup, but those expectations were tempered by a stunning start by India at the SCG.

Poonam Yadav made the best batters in the world look clueless as she took 4-5 in the space of 13 balls that should have included a hat-trick.

The leggie ended with figures of 4-19 in a stellar performance, as India ran out winners by 17 runs to open up the tournament.

34. Packed MCG watches Aussies win Women’s T20 World Cup (2020)

With the benefit of hindsight, as one of the last great hurrahs before COVID closed down the world, there could have been no finer way to say goodbye to crowds for the foreseeable future.

An impressive 86,174 fans packed the MCG to see Australia crush India by 85 runs and claim their fifth T20 World Cup crown on March 8, 2020.

A match bookended by performances from Katy Perry saw Alyssa Healy belt 75 off 39 balls, ably supported by an impressive 78 from Beth Mooney — although both were handed lifelines by Indian drops.

India was never in the contest chasing 185 to win, bowled out for 99 with Megan Schutt taking 4-18.

35. India all out for 36 (2020)

Day-night Test matches can be low scoring, but no-one expected it to be this low scoring.

Having made 244 in their first innings off the back of a patient 74 by skipper Virat Kohli, India felt on top at Adelaide Oval after dismissing Australia for just 191 not long before the close of day two.

Even ending the day 1-8 after the wicket of Prithvi Shaw for 4 wasn’t a disaster. 

No. That came in the first session of day three, when India was skittled for just 36 runs, with Josh Hazlewood taking 5-8.

Not a single batter reached double figures — just the second time that had ever happened in a Test match.

To make matters worse, Mohammed Shami was ruled out of the rest of the tour with a broken arm and captain Virat Kohli left for the birth of his child, leaving India with something of a makeshift squad for the rest of the series …

36. Brisbane breached by babysitter Rishabh Pant (2021)

Earlier in the series, Tim Paine joked that Rishabh Pant could babysit his kids if he took up an offer to play for the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL.

Paine was not laughing by the end of the series though, as the undermanned Indians completed a remarkable comeback from the Adelaide disaster to become the first team to beat Australia in a Test at the Gabba in 32 years.

Pant’s man-of-the-match performance came after a perfectly paced unbeaten 89 steered the Indians to one of the all-time great run chases to complete a remarkable series victory.

37. Mooney and McGrath steer Australia to last-ball win (2021)

When you lose Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry cheaply, you’d normally expect to be up against it. But that’s not how this Australian women’s team work.

India made 7-274 in the seconds of three ODIs in Mackay, and would have felt very much in the box seat in the 15th over of Australia’s chase, with the hosts 4-52 and the big names back in the shed.

But 74 off 77 from Tahlia McGrath and an astonishing unbeaten 125 from Beth Mooney saw Australia win off the final ball, with Nicola Carey hitting the winning runs for a memorable victory and an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

38. Australia win World Test Championship final at The Oval (2023)

Australia doesn’t have many gaps in its trophy cabinet, but the newly minted World Test Championship title, in just its second iteration, had escaped them in its first year.

No matter, the Aussies had a chance to win it at the second attempt against India at The Oval, and did so with aplomb.

Australia batted first and made 469, with Travis Head (163) and Steve Smith (121) leading the way.

Pat Cummins took 3-83 to help Australia establish a first-innings lead, and built a lead of 444 before declaring in their second innings.

India though fell well short, bowled out for 234 on the fifth day, with Nathan Lyon (4-41) and Scott Boland (3-46) doing the damage. 

39. Travis Head leads Australia to World Cup victory in Ahmedabad (2023) 

Everything was set for India to claim the Cricket World Cup on home soil.

An unbeaten group stage. Over 100,000 passionate and expectant supporters in Ahmedabad. An Australian team that had struggled a little to get going.

After India made 240 and Australia was reduced to 3-47, those supporters must have expected victory to be a procession.

But Travis Head’s magnificent 137, as part of a 192-run stand with Marnus Labuschagne, helped Australia quieten the rapidly dispersing crowd.

Glenn Maxwell bludgeoned the winning runs soon after Head departed, job done, as the Aussies claimed a sixth World Cup title against a bewildered Indian side.

40. India scores first Test win over Australia (2023)

It took 11 attempts since that first meeting in 1977, but India’s women finally managed to record a Test victory over Australia at the Wankhede in 2023.

A brutal burst of spin from Sneh Rana and Rajeshwari Gayakwad in the first session of the fourth morning did the damage, taking 5-28 to leave India a target of just 75 runs.

Tahlia McGrath scored a half-century in both innings in an impressive display, but it was not enough for the Aussies.