Mumbai: With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing a grinding halt to live action, Star Sports is giving fans an opportunity to relive fabled India-Australia rivalries on its show ‘Aussome’ starting Sunday.
Despite the format, India vs Australia clashes have always provided for exhilarating duels. Rivalries between the ‘Little Master’ Sachin Tendulkar and spin legend Shane Warne have been a constant feature in the 1990s and 2000s, with both players trying to outwit each other.
In the current scenario, Team India captain Virat Kohli’s long intriguing battles with pace spearhead Pat Cummins and his test counterpart Steve Smith, have dominated headlines.
Viewers can watch full re-runs of all the classics on Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports First as well at 1100 hrs from Sunday.
Below are some of the matches that fans can treat themselves to:
2nd ODI India v Australia 2013
With Australia leading the 7-match series, India were looking to make a comeback in the second ODI at Jaipur.
Captain George Bailey led from the front and scored an unbeaten 92 off just 50 balls helping his side to a mammoth total of 359/5 from their 50 overs.
The Indian openers gave a fitting reply to the Australian bowlers and scored the first 100 runs in just 16.2 overs. Both openers Rohit Sharma & Shikhar Dhawan stitched a 176-run opening stand before the southpaw was dismissed.
In came Virat Kohli at No 3 who launched a scathing attack at the Australian bowlers. Both Rohit and Kohli went on to score their hundreds with Virat going on to become the fastest Indian to score a century off just 52 balls.
India completed the historic chase with 38 balls to spare and won the match by 9 wickets levelling the series at 1-1.
7th ODI India v Australia 2013
The 7th ODI at Bangalore was to be the decider of the series as both teams had won 2 matches each with 2 matches washed out. George Bailey won the toss and elected to field.
Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan came out all guns blazing as the duo registered a century-opening stand. Dhawan was dismissed for 60, and from thereon, it was the Rohit show that ensued.
The ‘Hitman’ massacred the Australian bowling attack and went on to create history, scoring his first double hundred in ODIs. Rohit smashed 209 off just 158 balls, his innings laced with a mammoth 16 sixes and 12 boundaries - a new world record taking his team to a massive total of 383/6.
During the run chase, the Australian top order collapsed, but the middle order, led by James Faulkner, who scored his first century in ODIs, tried to pose a fightback. However, the Indian bowlers were able to restrict them to 326 and went on to win the series by 3-2. (UNI)
