Ind v Aus (3rd Test Match, SCG, 1991-92)

Test Match Cricket Series 1991-1992
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

Trailing 0-2, the Indians were under immense pressure to redeem themselves (they lost at the #Gabba by 10 wickets and then at #MCG by 8 wickets).

They won the toss to begin with and put Australia in.
It was a surprising move, and it seemed liked backfiring with #DavidBoon and #MarkTaylor going smoothly but as wickets began to fall the trio of #KapilDev, #ManojPrabhakar and #SubrotoBanerjee ensured Australia didn't runaway with a huge total. They were bowled out for 313. Boon scored a fluent 129, while the three fast bowlers snapped 3 wickets each.

India started their innings shakily but through brilliant centuries from #RaviShastri (206) and #SachinTendulkar (148), they amassed a good score of 483. The #wonderboy had arrived on world stage and his honeymoon with the #SCG was about to become legendary in the years to come!

A lot of Day 3 was washed out due to rain. When India's first innings closed on Day 4, they had a sizable lead of 170 but did they have enough time and good weather to push for a win?

With commentators and experts clearly stating a draw as the only result possible, things began happening at the SCG on Day 5. All Indian bowlers spun a web around the Aussie batsmen collectively. Suddenly, the Aussues were looking down the barrel at 6-114 (56 runs adrift on the first innings and only the bowlers to come)

This is when captain courageous #AllanBorder took over. He steadily marshalled the tail and started working out towards a respectable draw. More rain meant India's push for victory was being thwarted.

Late wickets in the day made the situation further exciting. Indian's threw everything they had at Border and his tail but they survived .. albeit the weather helped Australia immensely. Border saved the game for them. India felt dejected coming so close to beating the Aussies by an innings!
A great game indeed...

Watch stunning highlights Sachin's century from this awesome test match here

 

Ind v Aus (3rd Test Match, Chennai, 2001)

Border Gavaskar Trophy
Venue: Chennai

Did you watch this one? Am sure you were spell bound!
NOT FOR THE WEAK HEARTED surely.

On the back of the greatest test match of all time in Kolkata, came this one from Chennai. Ind v Aus 3rd Test Match. With series levelled at 1-1, the final frontier was at stake for Steve Waugh's men.

Never did they imagine this situation (almost dreaming of lifting the #BorderGavaskar Trophy at the end of Day 3 in Kolkata to fighting out with a resurgent Indian team at Chennai). More so, because Chennai favoured Indian spinners better than legendary #ShaneWarne whose record against India remained poor.


Drama started from Day 1. From a very dominant 360 for 2, Australia collapsed to 391 all out including a very embarrassing #handlingtheball verdict against #SteveWaugh. The Indians strode out and on back of a magnificent #SachinTendulkar century amassed 526. A good lead on a fast wearing track considering India would need to bat fourth.

In the second essay, the Aussies were boweld out for 289 giving India needing 155 runs to win the already historic test series. Or there was another twist in the tail. There certainly was!

Chasing the score and comfortably placed at 100 for 2, the drama began. Sachin was caught in the slips by a beauty from #JasonGillespie. Dravid and Ganguly perished soon after but it was the ever reliable #VVSLaxman (looking ominous on 66) whose wicket made things extremely interesting at 135 for 6. Another 20 still to get.

Wicketkeeper batsman #SameerDighe and #AnilKumble pushed and prodded around for a while before Mcgrath claimed two more wickets to make it 150 for 8. What climax! In walks #Harbhajan with 5 runs to get. A big appeal against Dighe and he survives a leg before shout! Harbhajan playing all over the deliveries making the game interesting every ball.

Mcgrath doing all his best to dislodge the batsmen but with very less runs to defend, couldn't experiment much. As luck would have it, his stinging yorker was dug out by Harbhajan for a couple of runs to hand India a glorious, magnificent and legendary series win over Australia.

Final score line: India 2 - 1 Australia
The Final Frontier remains to be conquered!

Aus v Ind (1st Test Match, Adelaide, 2014)

Border Gavaskar Trophy
Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide


These two teams seemed to have decided to pay tribute to #PhilHughes and test cricket in the best possible way!. A stunner of a test match !!

Until end of Day 4, it looked pale and one-sided with Australia looking the only side to win this match. On the back of two centuries from #DavidWarner in each innings and some superb batting performances from #SteveSmitth and #MichaelClarke, the Aussies looked like they had this game in the bag!

Capt. Clarke declared the Aussie second innings at 290 for 5, setting up India an improbable 363 to win the test match in 90 overs on turning Adelaide Oval pitch.

What turned out was absolute magic and test cricket at its absolute best! 2 for 100 odd at lunch seemed like same old story of wickets falling at regular intervals leading to an Aussie victory.

#MuraliVijay and #ViratKohli had different ideas after lunch though. Virat on the back of his first innings century started playing confidently while Vijay gained fluidity in his strokeplay as the game progressed. No wickets fell in the second session and with India around 200 mark at tea, things started looking like turning the tide around.

Then Lyon struck, not one, not twice but thrice in quick succession claiming Vijay plumb in front, Rahane adjudged caught at silly point albeit controversially and Rohit Sharma. Suddenly Aussies were favorites again!

This is when Kohli sensed he needed to up the tempo and start pushing on. And boy did he push it? Along with Saha he started inching ever  so closer to Australian total. When Saha went, he accelerated even further! Things looked pretty comfortable.
India need 60 runs to win, 4 wickets in hand.

Alas, tragedy struck, a rank long hop by Lyon, Kohli could have dispatched it anywhere outside the ground on any other day. But this wasn't his, it was Lyon's. As luck would have it, he pulled that delivery straight to mid-wicket in Mitch Marsh's hands. This was the big fish Aussies were waiting for! They had it delivered on a plate! A superb innings of 145 had come to an end.

The end for India wasn't far from here. It came soon after and Australia went 1 up in the series. A game to remember for
 - In remembrance of Phil Hughes
 - Dave Warner and Virat Kohli - tons in both innings
 - Lyon's 12 wicket match haul. 5 for in the second bettered legendary Warne's record against India (Lyon - two 5-fors against India vs Warne's one).

Memorable test all the way!
Man of the Match - Nathan Lyon
 

Ind vs Aus (3rd Test Match, Chennai, 1986)

Venue: Chepauk Stadium, Madras (erstwhile)
Now: Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
 
Lets rewind the clock way back to 1986 ... rings a bell?
 
Yes, we're talking about second of the only two tied tests ever in the history of the game! 3rd Test Match.
 
A match that exploded to life on Day 5 partly due to bold declaration of innings by Australian skipper #AllanBorder and followed up by the Indians .. going for the target in sportingly!
 
Both teams fairly matched each other over the first four days but in search of victory Australia set up a target of 350+ on a deteriorating Day 5 pitch.
 
Indians started the chase cautiously. #SunilGavaskar and #MohinderAmarnath ensured no alarm bells would ring due to fall of early wickets. Once they negotiated the first session, India sensed a chance to go for the target. They changed batting orders to up the tempo as needed. Australia too kept chipping away at the wickets making it a very interesting for the commentators and nerve-jangling for spectators.
 
The last over equation read
6 Balls, 4 runs to win for India, 1 wicket to win for Australia
#RaviShastri on strike, #ManinderSingh the non-striker and #GregMatthews to bowl.
 
Ball 1 - Played defensively by Shastri
Ball 2 - Flicked towards deep square leg, misfield ensures he gets 2
2 to win from 4 balls
Ball 3 - Flicked to mid wicket for a single.
Scores level. India cannot lose. 
With Maninder Singh on strike the Aussies brought all their fielders closer to create pressure.
Ball 4 - Maninder manages to negotiate safely.
Ball 5 - Rapped on the pads, huge appeal and umpire #Dhotiwala raises his finger! Game tied.

Australians over the moon. Matthews jumping around. Maninder and Shastri distraught. Amazing scenes. Felt as if Australia won the game. Actually, they were let off the hook by India who should have won the game rather easily ...
 
Man of the match - #DeanJones for his superb 205 in the blistering Madras heat.
 
Still remember watching this game as a school going kid on #Doordarshan with friends and family. Exhilarating stuff! 

Aus v Ind (3rd Test Match, Nagpur, 2004)

Venue: VCA Stadium, Nagpur

History made!! Australia win a test series in India after 35 years!
Magnificent achievement by the men in baggy green in 2004.

1-0 up in the series and a miraculous escape at Chennai ensured Australia could go all out for a win in this match and win the #FinalFrontier (famous comments by Steve Waugh)

Winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Aussies scored 398 thanks a super hundred from #DamienMartyn, their saviour hero from Chennai in the previous test match. He was ably supported by Clarke (91) and Lehmann (70).

When India batted, it went downhill for them right from the start. #JasonGillespie's 5-for with support from #Mcgrath and #Warne ensured Australia gained a very big 200+ lead in the first innings.

Not enforcing a follow-on (still healing their wounds from the Kolkata classic of 2001), Aussies decided to bat a second time and quickly put on 329/5 on board before declaring. Once again it was Martyn along with #Katich and #Clarke that scored bulk of the runs.

Chasing 500+, India faltered yet again and were skittled out for 200. Jason Gillespie, once gain, the tormentor in chief. A massive win by 342 runs. Certainly not a classic by cricketing standards but the occasion of winning a the final frontier after 35 years made this occasion very special and emotional for the Aussies.

Very rightly, #Gilchrist (the stand-in captain for injured Ponting) dedicated this victory to #Tugga (Steve Waugh's pet name) who gave Aussies that vision and drive to win in India (until few years before that series in the sub-continents were not taken seriously and they used to be number fillers).

The India-Australia rivalry changed all that .... forever!!!

Aus v Ind (3rd Test Match, Perth, 2008)

Venue: WACA, Perth

Another humdinger from the great rivalry in 1998 - 2008 era.

The importance of this match had acquired monumental proportions because 
 - it was on the back of the infamous Sydney test
 - the aftermath of the monkeygate incident had soured relations between the teams
 - the Aussies were lambasted throughout the fraternity for their unsportsmanlike behaviour
 - the Indians had been pleaded to continue the tour as scheduled
 - complete love was lost between both teams until then.

What followed was pure cricket and another magnificent game of between the two cricket powers of the time, matching each other ball to ball, minute to minute.

India batted first and scored a respectable 330 on a lively wicket, thanks to a stoggy 93 by #Dravid and sublime 71 by #Sachin. Surprisingly the Aussies capitulated at 212 through some disciplined bowling from the Indians, #RPSingh being the pick of the bowlers with a 4 wicket haul. #Symonds and #Gilchrist lent smeee respectability to the Aussie score that looked well below par at one stage.

With a good lead cushion under their belt, the Indians went for quick runs in the second essay with the tormentor-in-chief VVS Laxman top scoring with 79. India folding at 294 giving them a good target to bowl at, 420.

The Aussies began shakily losing both openers pretty cheaply but #Ponting and #Hussey steadied the ship for them. The fifth morning saw an inspired spell of fast bowling from a lanky 19 year old Ishant Sharma to get rid of Ponting. That spell has already become part of cricketing folklore .. classic David beats Goliath story.

Although #Clarke stroked a good 81, India kept chipping away at the wickets and looked set to win comfortably. But #MitchellJohnson and #StuartClark had different ideas. They batted on and started inching closer to the Indian total. India's captain #Kumble was a worried man and tried several options in vain. 

As luck would have it, #InfranPathan was thrown the ball to and he did the trick in his first over! He had Clark caught behind and RP Singh uprooted #ShaunTait's stumps to hand India a much deserved "Cricket" victory.

After the Sydney fiasco, cricket lovers were treated to much anticipated cricketing glory in this test match. Well done to both teams.

Aus v Ind (2nd Test Match, Sydney, 2008)

From the most memorable game of cricket to the most disgraceful one. This one comes from Sydney 2008.

The much vaunted series of 2007-2008 started off with Australia steamrolling India at #MCG easily and going 1-0 up in the series. The teams then met in the #NewYearsTestMatch at Sydney. India had a point to prove to beat Australia on their home soil and restore parity in the series.

What transpired over the next five days was embarrassing, ugly and disgraceful between the two teams including
 - The Symonds-Harbhajan #Monkeygate episode
 - The Benson-Bucknor umpiring on Day 5
 - The aftermath of the cricket test where India planned to boycott remainder of the series
 - The court trials on Monkeygate episode ... ouch! are we talking #cricket here?

What all this also did was overshadow some scintillating performances in the game from both sides
 - Symonds' matchwinning scores (163 and 61). He was MOM.
 - Superb hundreds from Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman in first innings
 - Maginificent hundreds from Matt Hayden and Mike Hussey in second innings
 - Sterling bowling efforts by Anil Kumble and Brett Lee in both innings
 - Michael Clarke's 3 wicket burst in one over to win the match
 - Anil Kumble' valiant batting vigil worthy of an army general defending his national pride.
 - This was Australia's 16th consecutive win (a record they equalled with Steve Waugh's side from few years ago)

Having seen everything unfold on that fateful 5th day, it was a game for India to draw and move ahead. Instead they succumbed to pressure and yes the umpires! The Aussies didn't show sportsmanship by not shaking hands with Indians after the game, Indians purposely passed time to draw the game which they couldn't save eventually. All love lost. Sadly the game of cricket lost that day!

Here are highlights of Day 5 of that test match

Would test match cricket be ever the same after this test match?

Aus v Ind (2nd Test Match, Sydney, 2008)

Venue: SCG, Sydney

From the most memorable game of cricket to the most disgraceful one. This one comes from Sydney 2008.

The much vaunted series of 2007-2008 started off with Australia steamrolling India at #MCG easily and going 1-0 up in the series. The teams then met in the #NewYearsTestMatch at Sydney. India had a point to prove to beat Australia on their home soil and restore parity in the series.

What transpired over the next five days was embarrassing, ugly and disgraceful between the two teams including
 - The Symonds-Harbhajan #Monkeygate episode
 - The Benson-Bucknor umpiring on Day 5
 - The aftermath of the cricket test where India planned to boycott remainder of the series
 - The court trials on Monkeygate episode ... ouch! are we talking #cricket here?

What all this also did was overshadow some scintillating performances in the game from both sides
 - Symonds' matchwinning scores (163 and 61). He was MOM.
 - Superb hundreds from Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman in first innings
 - Maginificent hundreds from Matt Hayden and Mike Hussey in second innings
 - Sterling bowling efforts by Anil Kumble and Brett Lee in both innings
 - Michael Clarke's 3 wicket burst in one over to win the match
 - Anil Kumble' valiant batting vigil worthy of an army general defending his national pride.
 - This was Australia's 16th consecutive win (a record they equalled with Steve Waugh's side from few years ago)

Having seen everything unfold on that fateful 5th day, it was a game for India to draw and move ahead. Instead they succumbed to pressure and yes the umpires! The Aussies didn't show sportsmanship by not shaking hands with Indians after the game, Indians purposely passed time to draw the game which they couldn't save eventually. All love lost. Sadly the game of cricket lost that day!

Here are highlights of Day 5 of that test match

Would test match cricket be ever the same after this one?

Ind v Aus (2nd Test Match, Kolkata, 2001)

Lets kick-off (toss-off really) with arguably the greatest test match of all time. (the two tied tests, the Melbourne test of 1993 between Aus and WI or the Headingley #Ashes Test of 2005 come very close though)

This test match between India and Australia played in Kolkata 2001 is the greatest on following counts
 - Australian captain Steve Waugh had declared this test series as his final frontier. A win here would have established the Aussies as the greatest team of all time (remember they had not won is India for more than 35+ years then)
 - Until the end of day 3, the Aussies had buried the Indians so deep that it was a matter of time that game would end on Day 4 itself. The Aussies surely had party of their mind.
 - What transpired on Day 4 and then further on Day 5 was straight out of a Hollywood flick or A Houdini trick for India.
 - The atmosphere at #EdenGardens was so electrifying, it resembled the Roman Colosseum with Gladiators fighting it out ball by ball.
 - No other game witnessed an extraordinary turnaround like this (although the 1981 Ashes test at Headingley had similar shades)

Presenting highlights of the complete test match. Its a bit long but every minute is worth the watch. Just see how fortunes swayed between the two teams. Simply magical ...