India National Cricket Team Vs Australia Men's Cricket Team Timeline

India National Cricket Team Vs Australia Men’s Cricket Team Timeline: Cricket is a sport of tradition, passion, and national pride, and there are very few rivalries as deep-rooted and long-standing as the one enjoyed by the teams of India and Australia. For eight decades, this particular cricketing rivalry has seen both teams metamorphose into global powerhouses, having played each other in every corner of the earth in white and in coloured clothing, in piped sunlight and floodlights. From the age of Don Bradman to the ages of Virat Kohli and Pat Cummins, this rivalry has entertained us with iconic individual performances, changes in power, and unforgettable moments that are part of the fabric of our sport.

This article will look at the rivalry as it evolved in all three formats – Test cricket, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). It will look at timeless performances, pivotal moments, statistics, and the cultural context that helps make this contest one of the greatest cricketing stories of all time.

India National Cricket Team Vs Australia Men’s Cricket Team Timeline Test (1947 – 2025)

Early Years of Dominance: 1947-1960

India’s first Test series against Australia was in 1947-48 – only months after it gained independence. So, it was a baptism of fire as it went on its first assignment in Australia – against the team captained by Sir Donald Bradman. Australia won all five Test matches to take a series that finished 4-0, with one draw. Australia’s dominance had no bounds and the disparity in standards between the Indian side at that time who were attempting to construct a cricketing experience, and a team that was already world-class.

While Australia continued its tours to India in the 1950s and began to dominate solely on home soil, breathing life into the possibilities of being competitive on home soil occurred in 1959 when they recorded India’s first Test win against the Australians at Green Park, Kanpur. The seed was planted.

India’s Growing Position at Home: 1964 to 1979

Australia remained an excellent team throughout the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in Australia, however, India was finding its feet in the sub continental conditions. India was able to achieve victory at Brabourne Stadium in 1964 and ironically, win a home series in 1979-80 to show it was no longer going to be easily worn down. Surprising victories in Australia’s primes in front of increasingly hostile crowds at the MCG and SCG on the infamous tour of 1977-78 was able to give Indian cricket confidence, despite the series being lost 3-2 in Australia’s favour.

The Equally Matched 1980s & Preparation to Shift in the 1990s

The 1980s was more evenly matched and the pivotal moment was in 1986, when India and Australia played the second tied Test in history at Chennai, and one of the great Test matches that still gives goosebumps to fans even today. As the 1990s began however, Australia was becoming increasingly dominant again, under Allan Border’s captaincy, winning the 1991 – 92 series 4 – 0 led by Shane Warne and Mark Waugh.

India, however, had sown the seeds of resurrection. Although Australia was established as the best test team throughout the period, in 1996-2004, India were fighting fire with fire, particular at home.

Competitive Grit: 1996-2004

By the late 1990s, and into the 2000s, India were matching Australia, with players such as Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, and Sachin Tendulkar. The milestone test victory in 1999 at Adelaide (India’s first ever in Australia) was a key milestone. The 2003-04 series saw India be able to draw the series in Australia, and deny Steve Waugh a farewell victory and showed a renewed belief away from home.

Modern Era Clashes (2007–2025): A Battle of Power

India’s match-ups from 2007 have been rollercoasters. The South African 2007-08 Sydney Test (the series known as “Monkeygate”) heightened the rivalry and further propelled a competitive edge. India’s 2012 home series saw them put up a dominant 4–0. Then came the counterattacks from Australia in 2014-15 and 2018.

The contests in the Border-Gavaskar 2020-21 trophy is arguably the most dramatic. Even though India were bowled out for 36 at Adelaide (a record low), they won in Melbourne, drawn in Sydney, and then won at Gabba, Brisbane. No major team had won at Brisbane for 32 years in a Test match.

In the most recent series (2024-25), Australia returned the favor by winning 3-1/a drawn Test at the SCG. Australia retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but that was a hard-fought, intense, and tactical series.

Test Match Overview (as at Jan 2025)

Total Matches: 112
Australia Wins: 48 (~43%)
India Wins: 33 (~29%)
Drawn: 30
Tied: 1

Australia has a historical advantage in Tests mainly due to their early dominance, but India has become much more competitive since the late 1990s and especially when playing at home.

India National Cricket Team Vs Australia Men’s Cricket Team ODI TIMELINE (1971 – 2025)

Foundations and World Cup Meeting (1980-1992)

India and Australia first met in an ODI in 1980, and in those early matches, India created some success. Although there were no knockout matches between each team in the 1983 World Cup, Australia had its revenge, with a slaughtering win, in the 1983-84 World Series. By the late 1980s, Australia had developed strength, with Border’s leadership, and ODI strategy developed. Australia were very strong through the Benson & Hedges World Series, which then ingrained their ODI cricket dominance, while India struggled with the pace of bowling from Australia and, of course, the new-found level of fielding and the overall tactical mind-set of the game.

Sharjah Duels & World Cup Brilliance (1994–2000)

By the mid 1990s, India was starting to enjoy regular success, especially in Sharjah and in home series. Sachin Tendulkar was mesmerizing in ODIs at this time and he even helped India surprise Australia in the 1996 World Cup, which enabled India to reach the semi final, despite the fact that they were not expected to do so.

As the 1990s progressed, Australia became much superior, culminating in their lopsided win over India in the 1999 World Cup. Ricky Ponting’s men had a fantastic tournament which re-emphasized the great divide again.

Modern ODI Rivalry: 2000–2025

In the 2000s and 2010s, the clashes were a closer contest, if not an even contest. In the 2003 World Cup final, Australia won comfortably (by 125 runs), but more importantly, India continued to build its momentum towards this showdown, having played in bilateral series and ICC tournaments prior.

Furthermore, in 2025, in the ICC Champions Trophy semi final in Dubai, India had a ground breaking 4-wicket win over Australia, which marks a watershed moment in which the gap has completely shifted towards India’s maturation in white-ball formats.

ODI Head-to-Head (as of March 2025)

Total Matches: 152
Australia Wins: 84 (~55%)
India Wins: 58 (~38%)
No Results: 10

Australia has increased overall wins in the head to head contests, but the patterns towards narrowing are starting to close, and India has always felt like they have been more determined to step it up in global events.

India National Cricket Team Vs Australia Men’s Cricket Team T20I TIMELINE (2007 – 2024)

The First Showdown Begins

The saga of the T20Is starts with a tussle with Indian and Australia in 2007, and India winning, yet going on to win the very first T20 World Cup. You could argue that this was the beginning of when India cemented their domination over their perennial rivals, knowing that wins against India – almost always – were ready to follow.

The Early Years (2007 – 2017)

Australia had some successes in the early 2010’s with a significant mention being a 2-0 T20I series win in 2012; however, India were overall dominant, especially in India and at neutral venues. It can be suggested that there were fierce rivalries, but India’s love of the format shifted the competitiveness heavily in their favour.

India’s Continued Dominance On The T20i Stage Since The 2020s

By 2018, India had extended the gap between itself and Australia, by the next clash between the two countries in June 2024, Australia had only won one out of eight matches with India over that period where it was likely Indian batters (Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya) were more than capable of always contributing to having a good day to win the match, and India were accumulating bowlers (Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal) who were stifling Australia’s search for success in the death overs.

Summary of T20Is as of June 2024

Total Matches: 32
India: 20 wins (˜63%)
Australia: 11 wins (˜34%)
No result: 1

To summarize, India has a distinct advantage in this format largely owing to India having a domestic player pool and domestic season (primarily the IPL).

Noteworthy Turning Points In The Rivalry

– India’s first Test win (1959, Kanpur): pivotal moment in the growth of Indian cricket

– 1999 Adelaide Test win: India’s first Test win in Australia out of decades of struggle

– 2001 Kolkata Test: not necessarily part of the rivalry but 2001 India-Australia series – more specifically the Eden Gardens miracle – changed Indian resolve and mentality

– 2003 World Cup final: heavy defeat that ushered in India’s renaissance in white-ball cricket in the years ahead

– 2018/21 Test series in Australia: India’s first and second Test series triumphs Down Under

– 2025 Champions Trophy: recent victory in ODI format suggests that the rivalry is still pretty fresh.

Test Series: India tour of Australia, 2024-25 Full Schedule & Match Results

1st Test: Australia vs India
Dates: Nov 22 (Fri) – Nov 26 (Tue)
Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth
Start Time: 7:50 AM IST
Result: India won by 295 runs

Warm-up Match: Prime Minister’s XI vs India
Dates: Nov 30 (Sat) – Dec 01 (Sun)
Venue: Manuka Oval, Canberra
Start Time: 9:10 AM IST | 03:40 AM GMT | 02:40 PM Local
Result: India won by 6 wickets

2nd Test: Australia vs India
Dates: Dec 06 (Fri) – Dec 10 (Tue)
Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Start Time: 9:30 AM IST
Result: Australia won by 10 wickets

3rd Test: Australia vs India
Dates: Dec 14 (Sat) – Dec 18 (Wed)
Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane
Start Time: 5:50 AM IST
Result: Match drawn

4th Test: Australia vs India
Dates: Dec 26 (Thu) – Dec 30 (Mon)
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Start Time: 5:00 AM IST
Result: Australia won by 184 runs

5th Test: Australia vs India
Dates: Jan 03 (Fri) – Jan 07 (Tue)
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Start Time: 5:00 AM IST
Result: Australia won by 6 wickets

Series Results: India vs Australia in Tests

Season	Series/Tournament	Winner Team	Series Result
2024/25	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia)	Australia	3-1 (5)
2022/23	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India)	India	2-1 (4)
2020/21	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia)	India	2-1 (4)
2018/19	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia)	India	2-1 (4)
2016/17	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India)	India	2-1 (4)
2014/15	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia)	Australia	2-0 (4)
2012/13	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India)	India	4-0 (4)
2011/12	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia)	Australia	4-0 (4)
2010/11	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India)	India	2-0 (2)
2008/09	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India)	India	2-0 (4)
2007/08	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia)	Australia	2-1 (4)
2004/05	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India)	Australia	2-1 (4)
2003/04	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia)	Drawn	1-1 (4)
2000/01	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India)	India	2-1 (3)
1999/00	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia)	Australia	3-0 (3)
1997/98	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India)	India	2-1 (3)
1996/97	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Australia in India)	India	1-0 (1)
1991/92	India in Australia Test Series	Australia	4-0 (5)
1986/87	Australia in India Test Series	Drawn	0-0 (3)
1985/86	India in Australia Test Series	Drawn	0-0 (3)
1980/81	India in Australia Test Series	Drawn	1-1 (3)
1979/80	Australia in India Test Series	India	2-0 (6)
1977/78	India in Australia Test Series	Australia	3-2 (5)
1969/70	Australia in India Test Series	Australia	3-1 (5)
1967/68	India in Australia Test Series	Australia	4-0 (4)
1964/65	Australia in India Test Series	Drawn	1-1 (3)
1959/60	Australia in India Test Series	Australia	2-1 (5)
1956/57	Australia in India Test Series	Australia	2-0 (3)
1947/48	India in Australia Test Series	Australia	4-0 (5)

Conclusion: Unrivalled Rivals

The cricket rivalry that exists between India and Australia is much more than simply numbers. It is a clash of tactical intelligence; it is a psychological battle; it is an allegiance that players and fans have to their team and what it stands for; and an exhibition of world-class performances.

When we put the rivalry in context of the early or inaugural Test and ODI matches when Australian players were the dominant force that had developed and asserted their dominance, versus India’s steady, innovative progression evidenced in their success in T20 and their results in Test matches beyond their usual home base, the interests and investment in this rivalry scrutinizes cricket’s status in these changing environments for both countries.

Both nations have incredibly rich cricketing histories, have an endless supply of players ranked among the world’s best, and some of the most loyal fans. Every match that is part of a bilateral cricket series is more than that. They are part of the world’s cricketing narrative. The rivalry has players, it is constantly producing younger faces and, as the game evolves, the rivalries will generally remain one of the great stories in international cricket.