India vs Australia: A statistical analysis of their rivalry in World Cups

The stage is set as two heavyweights India and Australia gear up to participate in the grand final of the 2023 ODI World Cup. The mouth-watering clash is all set to take place on a blockbuster Sunday, November 19, at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It will be a repeat of the 2003 final in Johannesburg where the Australians defeated the Men in Blue by 125 runs.

Talking about India’s 2023 performances, they have been consistently dominant, having won all ten matches, including the semi-final. The host nation won all nine league games on the bounce before beating New Zealand in the knockout fixture in Mumbai. 

On the other hand, five-time World Cup champions Australia began the competition with two defeats against India and South Africa. Pat Cummins and his men then bounced back in some style as they have now registered eight victories on the trot, including the semi-final against South Africa.

One of the most successful and consistent sides in the history of ODI World Cups, the Aussies have made it to their record eighth final. They won the title in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015 while the Asian giants India have tasted success in the 1983 and 2011 editions. 

Speaking about the current campaign, both sides have been brilliant with some individual performances also coming into the limelight as we take a look at some of those players’ dominance.

India and Australia’s openers’ performance in World Cup 2023:

Openers from both sides have managed to do the bulk of the scoring in this World Cup. Indian opener and skipper Rohit Sharma has been terrific so far with his counter-attacking and aggressive approach and has been giving his side some quick starts that have set the platform for the following batters. Rohit has struck at 124.15 and has racked up the second-most runs (550) for India after Virat Kohli’s tally of 711. 

His opening partner Shubman Gill missed the first two games against Australia and Afghanistan due to illness but has come back and been amongst the runs. The youngster is averaging 50 with four half-centuries, including a crucial 80 against New Zealand in the semi-final, to his name. In Gill’s absence, Ishan Kishan played those two games and managed scores of zero and 47. 

Speaking about the Aussies, veteran David Warner has smashed the most runs (528) for his side so far, averaging 53 with two hundred and two fifties. Travis Head, who missed the initial matches, will be opening with him in the final. Head has 192 runs to his name with one century and one half-century. Mitchell Marsh opened with Warner in Head’s absence but now will slot it at no. 3. Marsh is the second-highest run-getter for the Kangaroos in this World Cup.

India and Australia bowlers in powerplay:

Indian bowlers have been on a roll so far in this tournament with their splendid showing of swing and seam. Usually, the Asian side has always been known for the performances of their batters but this time even the bowlers have joined the party. The trio of Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah have just been unplayable throughout this campaign.

Shami in particular has been breathing fire as he is also the leading wicket-taker with 23 scalps. These three have broken the back of the majority of their opposition batting inside the powerplay. Speedster Bumrah has five scalps while Siraj and Shami have taken seven and eight wickets respectively.

Meanwhile, the Aussies have not been that threatening in the first ten overs with the ball. Skipper Cummins has no wickets to his name while Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc have got seven and five wickets respectively. 

 India and Australia record in ICC events on Indian soil

India and Australia have dominated ICC events in the past with their consistent performances. The first major event took place on Indian soil way back in 1987 when Pakistan co-hosted the World Cup. India failed to reach the finals as they suffered a defeat at the hands of England in the semi-final in Mumbai. Notably, the Aussies went on and lifted the trophy that year as they won their maiden World Cup title by beating England in the summit clash in Kolkata. 

The tournament returned to Asia in 1996 when Sri Lanka lifted their maiden World Cup trophy by beating Australia in the final. India lost to the Lankan Lions in the semi-final in Kolkata where the game was awarded to Sri Lanka due to the rioting crowd. In 2006, Ricky Ponting led his Aussie side to a Champions Trophy victory while India even failed to make it to the semis. 

The Men in Blue then won their second World Cup title by beating Sri Lanka in the 2011 final in Mumbai. Notably, India defeated Australia in the quarter-final in Ahmedabad. The Aussies then failed to qualify for the semis in the T20 World Cup held in India in 2016 while the host nation lost against West Indies in the semi-final.

 India and Australia Head-To-Head in ICC events

The two heavyweights met for the first time in the final of the 2003 World Cup in Johannesburg where the Aussies thrashed India by 125 runs to lift their third trophy. The second instance took place in the semi-final of the 2007 T20 World Cup in Durban where the Men in Blue emerged victorious by 15 runs. 

As mentioned above, India beat the Kangaroos in the quarter-final of the 2011 ODI World Cup. Four years later, Australia took revenge by defeating the Asian giants in the semis of the 2015 World Cup edition. Their most recent meeting in the knockouts came this year in London where the Australians handed India a defeat in the World Test Championship Final. Both these sides are no stranger to big occasions and come Sunday, the 19^th, one will add another piece of silverware to their cabinet.