Australia 'downed' under

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Tendulkar lights up Sharjah

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The arrival of Yuvraj Singh

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Lee breaks Indian hearts

India break Australia hoodoo

Hyderabad heartbreak

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Champions knocked out

When 360 wasn't enough

NEW DELHI: A few days ago, VVS Laxman termed India v Australia as cricket's biggest rivalry. And you can't beg to differ. Over the years, the two teams have been involved in some hotly-contested matches that have left an everlasting impact in the minds of cricket fans. We bring you the ecstasy of Sharjah, the disappointment of Hyderabad, and many more such encounters in our recap of some unforgettable ODIs between the two sides.When India beat the mighty West Indies in the final of the 1983 World Cup, many considered it a fluke. So when they toured Down Under two years later, to participate in the Benson and Hedges World Championship of Cricket, they had a point to prove. And as they went unbeaten in the tournament to lift the Championship, they made quite the statement against Australia in their third league match. The new-ball pair of Kapil Dev and Roger Binny wrecked the Australian top order and reduced them to 37/5. Wayne Phillips' half-century and Rodney Hogg's 39-ball 22 restored some order but all Australia could put on the board was 163. India's response was prolific. Ravi Shastri , who would go on to be crowned Champion of Champions in that series, scored a fifty and along with Kris Srikanth's 93, put on 124 runs for the opening wicket as India recorded an eight-wicket win with 83 balls remaining.Sharjah, Sachin Tendulkar and Desert Storm. These three terms together are forever etched in the memory of Indian cricket fans. In the virtual semi-final of the Coca Cola Cup in 1998, Australia batted first where a crisp 81 from Mark Waugh at the top of the order and a century from the original 'finisher' of the game Michael Bevan gave India a stiff 285 to chase. Tendulkar led the chase with a magnificent 143 even as India kept losing wickets. He treated the bowling with disdain, an attack that comprised Shane Warne, Damien Fleming, Tom Moody and Michael Kasprowicz and reached his 14th ODI century. The progress was interrupted by a sandstorm but that only enriched the narrative of Tendulkar's innings. He went into overdrive and launched Moody for a massive six that prompted the late Tony Greig's unforgettable line "The little man has hit the big fella for six! He's half his size!" Overtaking his previous personal best of 137 with another monstrous six off Fleming, Tendulkar was given out caught behind. And even though India lost the match, Tendulkar ensured his side qualified for the final.Skipper Sourav Ganguly's brand of fearless cricket came to the fore when India faced Australia at the ICC Knockout Trophy in 2000. Tendulkar once again set the tone with a cameo of 38 where he derailed Glenn McGrath with three sixes and two fours. But the real star of day was Yuvraj Singh, playing his first ODI innings. All of 18 years old, Yuvraj grabbed the Australian attack by the scruff of its neck with a stunning series of strokes. Forty-eight of his 84 runs in that innings came in boundaries, while the rest were the result of lightning quick running between the wickets. Thanks to his punchy innings, India made a wining 265/9 in their 50 overs. In the field, Yuvraj first took a good catch to send back Ian Harvey for 25 and then got the most vital wicket of the Aussie innings, running out their most consistent ODI batsman, Bevan, for 42 as India won the match by 20 runs.(AFP Photo)This one came shortly after India had beaten Australia by 19 runs for a memorable win in Brisbane in the VB Tri-series 2004. They had a chance to make it two out of two but it was Brett Lee 's brilliance with the bat that helped Australia clinch a thriller. Batting first, India were 80/3 before Yuvraj and VVS Laxman struck a century each and added 213 runs for the fourth wicket that gave India a commanding 296/4. In reply, Adam Gilchrist blazed to 95 from just 72 balls before rain interrupted. With the target revised, Irfan Pathan snared Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn in consecutive balls to give India a chance. The real dent was dealt with the dismissal of Gilchrist, and Ganguly administered even more agony on the home team by taking three crucial wickets in the middle. As the equation tightened, 11 were needed off the last over. L Balaji bowled four in the block hole that resulted in four runs but Lee connected the fifth one and it sailed for six. The winning run was scored off the final ball.(Getty Images)In the best-of-three finals of 2008 CB Series, India blanked Australia 2-0 for their first series win in the country. Chasing 240 in the first final in Sydney, India were carried by an exceptional 117 not out off 120 balls from Tendulkar, with Rohit Sharma's unbeaten 66 also providing the fans plenty of excitement. India won in 45.5 overs with six wickets remaining, a sign of things to come. In a thrilling end to the series, India defended 258 by nine runs to be crowned champions. Tendulkar's 91 off 121 balls was the only fifty of the Indian innings - Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj and Dhoni all fell in the thirties - and it proved central to India's win. Praveen Kumar; S Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan struck telling blows and even as James Hopes seemed to spoil the party for India, Australia fell short in an exciting Gabba special, adding to MS Dhoni's already-impressive captaincy stint.The fifth ODI between India and Australia at Uppal in the year 2009 was a throwback to Indian cricket of the 90s, where Tendulkar would single-handedly get India 'almost' over the line. The series was tied at 2-2. Australia put a massive 350 runs on the board batting first, courtesy two good knocks from Shaun Marsh (112) and Shane Watson (93). In reply, Tendulkar played a spotless innings and fought a forlorn battle alone as India's batting sensation opted to bat through and shift gears accordingly on way to his 45th ODI century. At 162/4, Tendulkar and Suresh Raina brought the equation down to 52 off 48. With Raina departing in the Batting Powerplay, Tendulkar and Jadeja then added 32 and brought India 19 short of the target. Tendulkar's only poor shot of the innings was a paddle-scoop, which couldn't clear the short-fine leg fielder and he got out for 175. India could manage just 15 more runs off the last 17.(Getty Images)The 2011 World Cup Quarterfinal pitted reigning World Champions Australia and title aspirants India. Brad Haddin's 53 gave his side a platform to build on and Ponting, brushing aside poor form, obliged with a refined century. India, 261 to get, began cautiously with Tendulkar and Gambhir firing half-centuries, but the left-hander's and skipper MS Dhoni's dismissal in span of 19 runs rang alarm bells in the Indian camp. They were five down for 187 but just when panic seemed to be creeping in, up stepped Yuvraj, batling cancer - as it would later be revealed - and continued his glorious run in the tournament with another half-century. Raina aided with a bullish unbeaten 34 off 28 to knock off the required 74 runs and send Australia packing from the World Cup for the first time in 12 years.(AFP image)Australia's seven-match ODI tour of India in 2013 was a high-scoring affair that saw both teams posting/successfully chasing/going past 300 runs regularly. In fact the second match in Jaipur saw a total of over 700 runs scored. Captain Gorge Bailey top-scored with 92 in an innings that also had fifties from Aaron Finch, Phil Hughes, Watson and Glenn Maxwell that set India a daunting task of chasing 360. India in reply, needed only three batsmen to make a mockery of that target. Shikhar Dhawan, in his golden year, bludgeoned 95 and his partner Rohit scored his first ODI century since 2010 to put on 176 for the opening wicket. If that wasn't enough, Virat Kohli registered the fastest ODI century by an Indian, off 52 balls as India cantered home with nine wickets and 39 deliveries to spare.