India vs Australia : Five greatest ODIs of all time

3. VB Series, Seventh Match, Sydney, January 2004 (The ultimate heartbreak)

Neither side anticipated the neck-and-neck thriller this game would turn out to be. It took a brief rain stoppage and one powerful hit to change the result of the game completely, leaving the Indians crestfallen.

After the Aussie pacers took out three rival batsmen early, they had to toil hard for the fourth wicket. The reason was simple – their long-time nemesis VVS Laxman was on the prowl. He batted sedately, giving steady support to the aggressive Yuvraj Singh, who unfurled the big shots at exactly the right moments, hitting with both power and precision.

The two put on a mammoth double-century partnership, both scoring their individual hundreds before Lee took out Yuvraj, while Laxman remained unbeaten as India posted a challenging total on the board.

Rain and thunder intervened mid-way through Australia’s chase, briefly giving the Indians a respite from a fierce onslaught by Adam Gilchrist. With 16 overs lost, the target was revised to a rather gettable one, but Irfan Pathan and Sourav Ganguly shared six wickets between them to send the match into the final over.

Lakshmipathy Balaji fired in three yorkers into the blockhole, but dished out a low full toss off the fourth, and Brett Lee clubbed it ferociously over long-off to take his side over the finish line. The Indians were dejected – so close, yet so far.