10 highest individual scores when India faced Australia in ODIs

India v West Indies - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup
MS Dhoni almost single-handedly resurrected India's attack against Australia in 2013

India vs Australia clashes by no means are short of entertainment. The heaps of runs, an array of wickets, the dives, the stares, the exchange of pleasantries are the few characteristics of an India vs Australia cricket match.

Batsmen from either of the nations have performed their hearts out in the past and the story is going to be no different in the years to come. Here are the top 10 knocks of Indo-Aussie ODI clashes.


#10 MS Dhoni 139*

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is arguably the second most celebrated cricketer of India after Sachin Tendulkar. When Australia toured India for a 7 match ODI series, there were just runs, runs and runs. Mohali hosted the third one day international where the Aussie skipper George Bailey won the toss and chose to chase on the beautiful afternoon of 19th October, 2013.

Australian bowlers didn't disappoint their skipper as India were reduced to 76/4. That's when the then Indian captain, MS Dhoni walked in to accompany his deputy.

Dhoni smashed a breath-taking knock of 139 runs against an Australian attack comprised of Mitchell Johnson, Clint McKay, Shane Watson and James Faulkner. India scored 303 runs by the end of 50th over. India were the favourites, that is until James Faulkner took on Ishant Sharma in the fag end of the innings.

Australia won the game with 4 wickets in hand.

#9 Ricky Ponting, 140*

Ricky Ponting smashes a six

Johannesburg hosted the final match of the World Cup of 2003 between India and Australia on 23rd of March,2003. Australia were unbeaten through the tournament, while India had lost the group stage match against the Aussies - their only loss till the final. Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly won the toss and asked the men in yellow to bat first.

Ricky Ponting, Ganguly's counterpart, walked in after the ever attacking Hayden and Gilchrist put on a hundred by the end of 14th over. The Punter scored an unbeaten 140 runs which included 4 fours and eight of his 121 faced balls landed out of the playing arena at The Wanderers Stadium.

Ganguly tried as many as eight bowling options but could not stop Ponting and Martyn from helping Australia put a daunting total of 359 on the board. Eventually, India lost the match by 125 runs, handing Australia their third world title.

#8 Sachin Tendulkar, 141

India v Australia

Sachin Tendulkar had a dream run against the Aussies from 1998-99. He scored runs at will against McGrath, Fleming and Lee and their equivalents in different parts of the world. Australia faced India in the third quarter-final of the Wills International Cup at Dhaka on 28th of October, 1998, where the Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin won the toss and decided to bat first. Indians did not have the greatest of the starts as Ganguly and Azharuddin were back in the hut with a score of 8 by the end of the third over.

That's when The Wall Rahul Dravid joined Sachin Tendulkar. Both of these Indian legends added 140 runs for the third wicked before Dravid was dismissed.

Tendulkar went on to score an aggressive 141, including 13 fours and 3 sixes in 128 balls, partnering with Ajay Jadeja. India put on 307 runs and won the game by 44 runs.

#7 Rohit Sharma, 141*

Australia v India - Game 2

Having lost the first of the seven scheduled ODI matches, the Indians met the Australians at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium at Jaipur on 16th of October, 2013. Australia won the toss and decided to bat on a batting paradise. All of the Aussie top five got past the half-a-ton mark with the captain Bailey being not out on 92 in mere 50 balls.

Australia posted 359, the exact first inning score of 2003 world cup final against the same opposition. But this time the second innings was different to the one in 2003. Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma scored 176 runs before the former fell five short of his hundred.

Virat Kohli joined Rohit Sharma with almost half an innings to be played. Rohit Sharma smashed a memorable 141* with 17 fours and 4 sixes in just 123 balls.

He smashed the likes of Johnson, McKay, Watson and Faulkner at will. Virat Kohli too smashed the fastest hundred by an Indian as the modern master reached the three figure mark in just 52 deliveries. India won the match with 39 balls to spare and nine wickets intact.

#6 Sachin Tendulkar, 143

India v Aust X.jpg

The Coca-Cola Cup at Sharjah in April, 1998 was one of the most memorable tournaments for Indian cricket fans. Then Australia captain, Steve Waugh, won the toss and chose to bat. Thanks to Michael Bevan's 101*, Australia scored 284/7.

India needed 276 to win or 237 to qualify for the final in 46 overs as the chase was curtailed due to the sandstorms.

Outwalked the Indian openers - Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly could not convert his cautious start into a match winning knock when he was sent back by Damien Fleming for 17. The Master Blaster who was then joined by the wicket keeper Nayan Mongia, smashed Fleming, Kasprowicz, Warne, Moddy and Mark Waugh all around the park. After Mongia fell for 35, Azhar and Ajay Jadeja also followed.

Tendulkar was then joined by VVS Laxman. Both of them knit a partnership worth 104, out of which Laxman's share was 23. With a knock of 143 off 131 balls with nine fours and five sixes, Tendulkar made sure that India qualified for the final before getting caught by the Aussie glovesman Adam Gilchrist off the bowling of Damien Fleming.

#5 Steve Smith, 149

Australia v India - Game 1

India toured Australia for a 5-match ODI and a 3-match T20I series in January, 2016. The WACA was the host of the first ODI where MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first. Shikhar Dhawan, the Indian opener was dismissed early. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma put together a partnership of 207. India finished with a score of 309 with Rohit Sharma scoring 171*.

The Indian bowlers chipped off the Aussie openers.

Captain Steve Smith walked in at number 3, scored 149 before getting dismissed by the young Indian debutant Barinder Sran.

The legend in the making looked graceful when he shuffled across the stumps to punch the Indian pacers through the covers or to flick through the mid-wicket. He was accompanied by George Bailey who scored 112. Australia won the game in the last over.

#4 George Bailey, 156

Australia Training Session

Win or lose, a hundred or a duck. You always see a smiling George Bailey. Australia were leading the 7-match ODI series 2-1 after the heroics of James Faulkner in Mohali ODI. The teams traveled to Nagpur for the penultimate ODI on 30th of October, 2013 where the Indian skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and invited Australia to have a bat.

After losing two early wickets George Bailey and Shane Watson put on a partnership of 168 runs. Bailey, before handing a catch to Virat Kohli off Ravindra Jadeja's bowling, managed to hit 156 runs with 13 fours and 6 mammoth sixes in just 114 deliveries, with the help of which, Australia posted yet another total of 350 in the series.

India had already chased down similar total in the 2nd ODI of the same series. Outcame the Indian openers with all the grit and determination.

The Indian top three took on Australian attack. Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli scored hundreds and Rohit Sharma had scored 79 before being dismissed by part-timer Aaron Finch. India won the game convincingly by 6 wickets and leveled the series 2-2.

#3 Rohit Sharma, 171*

Australia v India: Carlton Mid ODI Tri Series - Game 2

The WACA, Perth is known to be one of the bouncier tracks of all Australian tracks, so much so that, LBW decisions are almost ruled off in the games there. Quite a fan of playing bounce, the 'Hit-Man' Rohit Sharma, was at the crease. Sharma, too, is adept at the pull shot, more so than anyone in the current Indian team.

After winning the toss at the WACA on 12th of January, 2016, MS Dhoni decided to bat first.

Out came the Indian openers - Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. After Dhawan getting dismissed cheaply, Rohit Sharma was accompanied by Virat Kohli. Sharma scored a sluggish (by his standards) yet graceful knock of 171* that included 13 fours and 7 sixes. Kohli too played a very good innings of 91.

India managed to put up 309, which eventually proved to be insufficient after the hundreds by Smith and Bailey in the second innings.

#2 Sachin Tendulkar, 175

India v Australia - 5th ODI

India took on Australia in the 5th ODI at Hyderabad on the 5th of November, 2009. Australian captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and opted to have a bat. The men in yellow didn't disappoint their skipper as the openers Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh scored 145 for the first wicket.

The firm foundation had been laid, the platform was set for Ponting, Hussey and Cameron White to finish the innings on a high. They did exactly what the need of the hour was. Australia put another mountain-like score of 350.

The celebrated opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar walked in to chase 351. Tendulkar smashed the Aussie attack at his will and scored a mammoth 175 which included 19 fours and 4 sixes. India needed 19 in 18 balls, that's when the Master decided to go past the man at short fine leg.

Tendulkar could not play the shot as well as he wanted and handed a catch to Nathan Hauritz. That ended an awesome knock of Tendulkar and the hopes of the Indian win.

#1 Rohit Sharma, 209

Australia v India - Game 1

With the 7-match series was level at 2-2, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium of Bangalore was the host for the final of the series on 2nd November, 2013. On a yet another batting beauty of the series, the Aussie skipper George Bailey decided to chase.

Indian openers Dhawan and Rohit did well keep the Aussie quickies at bay. Xavier Doherty, with the 19th over of the innings put an end to the brilliant opening stand of 112. In the next over a horrible mix-up between Virat Kohli, the Indian #3 and Rohit Sharma caused the end of skipper of Bangalore based IPL franchise.

Now, the responsibility of steadying the ship was on the shoulders of Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. Sharma, who is appearing for the third time in this list, played the innings of his life till then.

A scintillating double hundred which included 16 maximums - a record, from the Hit-Man ensured that India went past the 350 mark. Sharma hit sixes at will against McKay, Coulter-Nile, Faulkner and Watson before handing a low catch at deep square leg. India ended up with a humongous score of 383, thanks to the blistering finish by MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma himself.

Australia could only score 326 before getting bowled out with 29 legal balls to be bowled.

Rohit went on to score yet another double ton, thus becoming the only batsman to have twin double hundreds in ODI cricket.

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