Australian Men’s Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Timeline: From the dusty pitches of post-war India to the electric atmosphere of modern packed stadiums, the cricket rivalry between Australia and India has become the most compelling narratives in cricket. For almost 80 years, this competition has been more than bat versus ball – it has evolved into a story of growing techniques, successive generations, and cricket cultures. In every variation of the game, every match carries the burden of history and the prospect for spectacle, as two of cricket’s giants continually challenge each other to produce something special.
Beginning of the Test Rivalry: 1947 to the 1960s
Australia and India began the Test rivalry shortly after World War 2, with Australia touring India and India hosting Australia. The first clash that started the tension was in Brisbane on November 28, 1947, when Australia won by an innings and 226 runs. After combating in Brisbane, Australia and India fought each other over the next few weeks in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Australia dominated that first series, winning most matches with only a single match ending in a draw. Australia was the stronger side going into the following decade, and the mood underlined one-sidedness.
In the mid-1950s, the conflict shifted to the Indian subcontinent. Australia won convincingly again in the 1956-57 series in Chennai and Kolkata, showing they could adapt to both spin and pace. Indian supporters had reason to cheer their first Test victory against Australia in Kanpur in December 1959. India won by 119 runs, a big landmark for Indian cricket that rejuvenated fans and more optimistic feelings about the prospects for Indian cricket. In the 1960s, Australia continued to do well against India, including an innings victory in Chennai in late 1964. India fought back, of note, in 1964 at Bombay (Mumbai) where India managed to beat Australia by 2 wickets. Otherwise, Australia were the stronger side through the 1960s.
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Australia’s Ascendance & India Stumbles: Late 1960s to Early 1980s
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Australia were relatively comfortable. In the 1967-68 series, played across Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney, Australia produced 3 match wins, and by large margins. There was a glimpse of hope when India won by 7 wickets in Delhi during the 1969-70 series in November 1969, but this was canceled out by Australia’s win by 10 wickets in Kolkata and win in Chennai by 77 runs.
The late 1970s had provided another competitive phase—the 1977–78 series had India achieving an astonishing 222-run victory in Melbourne, described as one of India’s first true overseas victories in terms of being convincing. Australia reacted quickly, responding by winning in Sydney and Adelaide in convincing fashion.
An unusual rare opportunity for global prominence occurred in September of 1986 when a Test series between both nations resulted in a tie in Chennai, so rare that it is often described as one of the oddest results in cricket history. India also achieved drawn matches on that tour, but the tie is a noteworthy achievement.
The 1990s to Early 2000s: More Edges, More Drama
The early part of the 1990s was not so kind to India—Australia dismissed India by 10 wickets in Brisbane and 8 wickets in Melbourne during the 1991–92 series, followed by draws and a 38-run win for Australia in Adelaide.
The back half of the 1990s saw India begin to feel a lot more comfortable. In 1996, India defeated Australia by seven wickets in Delhi, while by 1998, India picked up more significant wins in Chennai and Kolkata. These results represented a change from the 1990s, and suggested a growing stronger India with more confidence on home soil.
Australia came back very strongly at the turn of the century, as they did in 1999–2000, when they defeated India by 285 runs in Adelaide, then proceeded to win comfortably in Melbourne and Sydney. In the first part of the decade in the 2000s, the scales became a little more even. India won the memorable series in 2000–01, winning significant matches at Kolkata, Eden, and Chennai. Australia took revenge in 2004, but India still won a thrilling match in Auntie da in that series. By the mid 2000s, the test matches could not simply have been categorized as the two brands of cricket, Australia or India, but they had developed into intensely contested matches, displaying the strengths of both teams.
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2010s: India Finding Their Way; Australia Attempting to Hold Their Ground
In the early 2010s, Australia were firmly in charge, particularly in the 2011–12 series, when they declared very strongly, winning matches by innings and run-margin defeats, in almost every venue from Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Adelaide. However, India did not crumble thoroughly and recovered to field its active roster for the 2012–13 series, winning in Chennai by 8 wickets, and winning the next match by an innings, in Hyderabad. Eventually, Indian pitches and coaching and player development began a steady process to erode Australian appeal.
The 2014–15 series that followed was tighter. Australia won the Adelaide Test by 48 runs, and Brisbane by four wickets; but draws in Melbourne and Sydney meant India still frustrated their opponents, showing they were no longer easy beats on home soil.
The 2016–17 series was noticed as a watershed for India’s capabilities and their thrashing 333-run victory in Pune was a demonstration of their control with bat and ball. After defeat in Bengaluru, India again made their point with an eight-wicket victory in Dharamsala. They were by then back in a strong groove—it was not just punishing Australia, but drawing Australia together through adversity.
Recent Contests In Test Cricket: Clashes With Mutual Respect
The later stages of the 2010s and the early stages of the 2020s have been defined by contests, equally matched contests, and adrift. In 2018–19, India had thrilling victories in Adelaide and Melbourne (while Australia fought back), while in 2020–21 it was again an ebb and flow – a see-saw of wins and losses with the odd draw. Australia’s eight-wicket victory in Adelaide was cancelled out by India’s equivalent Adelaide victory, and the resting phase ended with India going ahead in Brisbane.
The last Test series, which occurred in early 2025, was a real one — competitive Test cricket, high stakes, thrilling drama, tussles between pace and spin, and maybe above all, a mutual respect that had only built up from years of rugby.
Of the 112 Test matches played between 1877 and 2025, Australia has won 48 matches and India has won 33. The rivalry contains one rare tie and 30 draws as evidence of how evenly matched the two sides are currently, and how the nature of the game often does not allow resolution, including extreme contests.
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One-Day Internationals: The Tensions Continue in a Shorter Format
The historical ODI rivalry began in 1980 when Australia, for the most part, was the dominant team with multiple wins in the first World Series Cup in the early 1980s. India did win some early matches against Australia in that first series, particularly in the 1980–81 season, but India lost more than they won in a growing ODI format. Eventually, India built an impressive record of wins, like their famous 118-arrative World Cup defeat of Australia in 1983.
The ODI rivalry continued with plenty of intensity throughout the 1990s as well. India went on to beat Australia in small tournaments in Sharjah and semi-finals, while Australia emerged victorious in tournament extremes like the Reliance World Cup. Even by the time of the 1999 World Cup, Australia had only slightly become ahead of India, albeit India was offering up crushing blow-for-blow performances.
In the early part of the 2000s, Australia remained dominant with most ODI wins. However, India would not go away; they brought excitement with close matches, subcontinental victories, and big‑scoring wins—and gradually the margins narrowed.
By 2025, the ODI win tally was approximately 84 by Australia, 58 by India, plus a few no‑results and tied matches; and the short form neatly mirrors the long form: Australia have more wins, but India are always catching up and matching them in milestone moments.
T20 Internationals: The Fastest Rivalry
T20Is emerged in 2007, and from their inception, India shocked Australia in some of the earliest encounters. India won by 15 runs at Kingsmead, but Australia quickly adapted, winning similarly aggressive matches in Melbourne and Barbados.
The rivalry in the shortest form of cricket escalated into the 2010s and on: India recorded several intense bouts across India, such as in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, while Australia equally had their share of wins, such as in Brisbane. On some occasions, and during downright dreadful weather/damp conditions, matches were decided by fine margins or with no outcome.
As of mid-2024, along with T20s having their own story, remember that India has won 20 of 32 matches, Australia 11 and 1 was no result. This shows India’s ability to cop adeptly with T20’s uncertainty, while the Australians remain firmly engaged.
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Looking to the Future: A Rivalry Reborn
With respect to cricket, the rivalry between Australia and India has changed substantially from the late 1940s to 2025, both on and off the field. What was once an Australia-dominated rivalry has matured into a rivalry that embraces balance, tactics and emotion for each of the Tests, ODIs and T20s.
In Tests, Australia leads with 48 wins to India’s 33 wins. However, the large number of draws and a mix of recent results indicate growing balance. In terms of ODIs, Australia leads with 84 wins to India’s 58 wins, but the positive trend of India’s performances particularly in close matches and tournaments, is changing the perception of the rivalry. And, in T20Is, India’s form suggests they are clearly the better team in T20s, built for high stakes and fast changes.
There is more to this rivalry than the numbers—it is about changing power dynamics, evolving tactics, and two cricket cultures pushing each other onward. As both countries produce world-leading talent and dreams meet on the field, one thing we can rely on is that the tale of Australian and Indian cricket is one of the most significant stories in the game.
