India's squad when Australia last beat them at home in 2004
The Indian cricket team were a very different side back in 2004 – 2005. It was a side that was emerging in world cricket as a force to be reckoned with. After the success of the 1983 World Cup, India produced a number of excellent cricketers from Mohammad Azharuddin to Sachin Tendulkar to Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, the Indian factory line was the gift that kept giving.
With that being said, the Indian ‘team’ was not a force that was to reckoned with. It wasn’t until Sourav Ganguly took over captaincy that the Indian team developed an aggressive streak, they were willing to put everything on the line to get the victory.
When Australia toured India in 2004 for a four-match Test series, the morale in the Indian camp had never been higher. They had returned from Pakistan with an incredible series win after having shared the spoils ‘down under’ in their previous assignment.
If India were in hot form at that moment, the Australian cricket team were simply unassailable as the best team in world cricket. On their tour to India in 2004, the Aussies went away with a handsome 2 – 1 win. It still remains the last time they won a series in India.