What happened last time India vs Australia contest took place in ODI World Cup Final? | Know More

It will be a shot at redemption for Team India on Sunday (Nov 19) when Rohit Sharma’s men take on Australia in the final of the ODI World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The contest will be a repeat of the 2003 ODI World Cup final when India faced the Aussies at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Since then, plenty of water has gone under the bridge as both teams have tasted success on multiple fronts with energetic leadership on offer.

What happened in the 2003 ODI World Cup final?

Having lost by eight wickets in the league stage meeting, India skipper Sourav Ganguly opted to field first after having won the toss. India had lost by nine wickets in the league stage meeting, which had influenced Ganguly’s decision to bowl first in the final. However, Australia, then led by Ricky Ponting, had no issues taking the guards first with reliable Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden opening for them.

Gilchrist and Hayden stitched a partnership of 105 runs for the opening wicket, with Gilchrist scoring 57 while Hayden would later get dismissed for 37. Both wickets fell in quick succession, scalped by Harbhajan Singh, but there was not much joy for the Indian team. Ponting scored an unbeaten 140 off 121 deliveries consisting of 8 sixes and 4 fours. His innings and an unbeaten partnership of 234 runs with Damien Martyn helped Australia to a massive 359-run total in the final. Martin would score an unbeaten 88 and support Ponting in the massive partnership against the Indian bowling line-up.

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India started poorly

Eyeing a massive 360 runs to win, India needed a good start with openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag in the middle. Tendulkar, playing in his first final, made an unexpected decision of batting at the striker's end while usually starting at the non-striker's end. He scored a four on the fourth ball of the innings and looked set to help India chase the target, but that joy was short-lived as Glenn McGrath caught and bowled the India legend on the very next ball. That broke millions of Indian hearts, as Tendulkar departed for four.

Then came some handy knocks in the chase from skipper Ganguly (24), Rahul Dravid (47), and Yuvraj Singh (24) to help India stay in the chase. Sehwag at the other end was fighting the fort alone with a composed innings while others could not resist the Australian bowling lineup. However, his warrior innings came to an unfortunate end in the 24th over when he was run out on 82. Later rest of the batters returned without troubling the scorers with much affection as India were bowled out for 234 runs in 39.2 overs with rain also paying a visit in between.

India’s only consolation on the day was Sachin Tendulkar’s Player of the Tournament performance for which he was awarded a golden bat by South African leader Nelson Mandela. Australia would win the contest by 125 runs and clinch their second consecutive World Cup while winning their third overall.