AUS vs IND: 5 most memorable T20Is between India and Australia

The matches between India and Australia are interesting to watch, irrespective of the format. And, since Virat Kohli and Steve Smith have become the front runners of their team, things have gotten spiced up a little more. There is a lot of banter and competition between the two teams which makes the matches exciting to watch.

Here’s a look at 5 such T20I played between the two teams which brought the spectators to edge of their seats.

5) 2nd Semi-final, T20 WC, Sep 22 2007

The first-ever T20 match between India and Australia turned out to be a great game of cricket for the fans of the sport to watch. In this game, things were on India’s side from the very beginning as MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat first. Thanks to Yuvraj Singh’s 70 runs off 30 deliveries, India posted a total of 188 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. When the Aussies came out to bat, they faced a surprise. The pack of Indian bowlers, led by RP Singh and Joginder Sharma, took three wickets each and managed to restrict the Australian batsmen to just runs, leading India to a 15-run win in the match. S Sreesanth took the key wickets of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden.

Today in 2007, India beat Australia in WT20 SF by 15 Runs.

Yuvraj Singh 70 off 30

0 6 1 0 2 1 6 4 1 6 1 4 1 1 4 2 2 2 6 4 1 14 0 1 2 6 W pic.twitter.com/k2AtfO06RQ

— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) September 22, 2017

4) 3rd T20I, India tour of Australia, Nov 25 2018

In this match, Aaron Finch won the toss and chose to bat first. A collective effort by the Australian batting attack led the team to a competitive total of 164 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their quota of 20 overs. Krunal Pandya was the pick of the Indian bowlers as he took 4 wickets in his quota of overs. When it was India’s turn to bat, things went their way from the start as the openers put up a 67-run stand. And, then it was time for the Virat Kohli show. He smacked 61 runs off 41 deliveries to guide his team to a win alongside Dinesh Karthik who stood his ground alongside Kohli. India walked back with a 6-wicket win with 2 balls remaining in their inning.

3) 1st T20I, Australia tour of India, Feb 24 2019

The more recent encounter in T20 cricket between the two teams, this was another match where things seemed to be balanced for the most part of the match before one of the sides went on a frenzy and walked back with a victory under their belt. India batted first in this match, with KL Rahul being the top-scorer of the team with 50 runs as they reached 126 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs. In the second inning, things did look to be favouring India, as Australia lost 2 wickets at just 5 runs. But, this was not all for them. The ‘Big Show’ Glenn Maxwell stepped in for his team and struck a brilliant 56 runs off 43 deliveries to get them to a win on the last ball of the match by a 3-wicket margin.

2) 31st Match, World T20, Mar 27 2016

Coming into this match, a semi-final spot in the biggest T20 International competition was on the line, and if India would have won, they would advance into the semi-finals. Chasing a total of 160 runs set by the Aussies to chase, the Indian batsmen showed intent since the very first ball they faced in the second inning. But, that did not seem to go well for them, before Virat Kohli stepped in and took charge. He scored 82 runs off 51 balls, stitching together important partnerships on the way. This got the team to a comfortable 6 wickets victory with 5 balls remaining and a place in the semi-final of the tournament.

Kohli’s Greatest

Today in 2016, @imVkohli smashed 82* off 51 (9 fours, 2 sixes) v Australia at Mohali in World T20.

When Dhoni joined Kohli, India req 67 off last 6

Kohli in 17th & 18th Over
4 4 6 2 0 0 4 4 4 0 4

From 50 off 40 to 82 off 51 – 32 in 11pic.twitter.com/PK78wEbYUT

— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) March 27, 2020

1) 2nd T20I, India tour of Australia, Feb 3 2012

Played at one of the most iconic venues in Australia, this match between India and Australia too boiled down to the very end of the second innings. The Australians were batting first in this match and contributions of around 30 runs each from David Warner and Matthew Wade helped their team’s total reach a total of 131 runs before they were bowled out. When it was India’s turn to bat, things looked completely different. The opener, Gautam Gambhir smacked a 50 and was supported by MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli as the team got to the total they were set to chase with 8 wickets in their hand and 2 balls remaining.