Cricket World Cup History: 5 best encounters between India and Australia in the history of the World Cup
After a few one-sided matches, the 2019 World Cup has returned to its competitive best with the Bangladesh v New Zealand and Pakistan v England matches going down to the wire. The tournament has already witnessed an upset of sorts with Bangladesh triumphing against South Africa.
Out of all the teams, two of them have been ruthless and have lived up their favorites tag. India and Australia have showcased discipline in both batting and bowling departments. India has followed the trend from last two years, with the wrist spinners picking wickets in the middle overs while one of the top three batsmen put up an impressive show to win the game for India.
Australia would also be happy with the smooth return of David Warner and Steve Smith while Mitchell's Starc five-wicket haul against Afghanistan will be a major boost to Australia's campaign.
As India and Australia gear up for a mouth-watering clash, here is a look at some of the best encounters between these two nations on the cricket field.
#5 1987 WC - A match that reminiscent the tied test
India began their title defense of the 1987 World Cup against Australia at Chepauk. Batting first, Australia got off to an excellent start with openers putting up a 110-run partnership. Geoff Marsh went on to notch up an impressive 110 as Australia finished with 270/6 from 50 overs.
India's chase began on a surprising note as Sunil Gavaskar, generally slow at the start played with an attacking mindset from the onset. Navjot Singh Sidhu and Krishnamachari Srikanth kept the momentum going with scores of 73 and 70 respectively.
With 69 required off the last 15 overs, India was backed to pocket the match. However, India lost four wickets for just 27 runs and were soon staring down the barrel. Eight was needed for a win with Steve Waugh bowling his slow leg breaks but in the final over, Manoj Prabhakar ran himself out while Maninder Singh was bowled to give Australia a famous win by one run.
Also read - Lowest total defended in world cup