Australian Men’s Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Timeline
The Australia national men’s cricket team rivalries with the India national cricket team is one of the important rivalry. The first Test tour of Australia by India, in 1947-48 to present day, which has evolved over Tests, ODIs and T20s into an epic rivalry that boasts not just series but World Cup matches, brilliant individual performances and dramatic comebacks.
The timeline has chronicled the Australian dominance in the early years through to Indian Test victories in Australia and their edifying white-ball battles. New entries for the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final and Australia’s white-ball series against India later in 2025 form the latest chapter. This ground-breaking article details the major milestones that will be over by 2026.
1947–48: The First Test Series
The first Test series between India and Australia took place in 1947–48 when India toured Australia. The series started on 28 November 1947, with Australia winning in a five Test series which they took by four wins to none.
Australia made light work of the series, with a monstrous 674 in Adelaide. India achieved their first low totals of 58 at Brisbane and their other lows in the series against Australia. That series set the precedent of Australia having an early lead in Test cricket.
1956–1969: Australia Continue to Dominate
The two teams faced each other frequently during the 1950s and 1960s. Australia defeated India 2–0 in the 1956–57 series, then won a further series against them by 2–1 in 1959–60.
The series in India 1964–65 was a drawn series 1–1 and Australia won the 1967–68 series 4–0. The visitors won 3–1 on an Australian series victory followed in 1969–70. These results show the level of difficulty that India faced in trying to beat Australia during the first 20 years of their rivalry.
1977–1981: India Start Challenging Australia
During late 1970s, Australia still led the race, taking the 1977–78 series over Sri Lanka by a three Test to two margin. Nonetheless, India improved in the years to come.
India defeated India in the series 2–0 in the 1979-80 series played in India. This was followed by a three-Test series between the sides in Australia during 1980–81 which ended in a drawn series of one win apiece before rain washed out the final Test.
This phase of the rivalry was crucial because India were starting to challenge Australia rather than just attempting to hold the line against their dominance.
1985–1986: Two Memorable Drawn Series
Most notable are how the rivalry produced two very tightly contested series in the mid-1980s. All three Tests in the 1985–86 series in Australia ended in draws, meaning the series was drawn 0–0.
Australia then played a three-Test series in India the following season. None of the two sides won one of the series’ three matches, which again all did not have a result.
These contests represented a big shift from the one-sided nature of many previous meetings between India and Australia.
1991–2000: Australia Regain the Upper Hand
In the 1991–92 season, Australia defeated India by a score of 4–0 in the Test series. They played a one-off Test in Delhi in 1996–97 after the two teams met for a series, which India won.
India then won the home series 2–1 in 1997–98, before Australia’s subsequent tour of India in 1999-2000 finished with a 3–0 Australian win.
The contest was becoming increasingly competitive: the host’s record continued to improve significantly, while Australia remained one of the top teams in test cricket on home soil.
2001: The Kolkata Test Changes the Rivalry
One of the most significant series in India–Australia, is the 2000–01 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Australia sealed victory in the first Test, played in Mumbai, but India bounced back to claim a stunning win in Kolkata. India were forced to follow on but fought back through VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid before clinching the Test by 171 runs.
India won the deciding Test in Chennai and took the series 2–1.
In fact, the Kolkata Test is infamous for India following on and going onto win and still remains one of the significant Test matches in history.
2003–2008: The Rivalry Enters a New Era
The Test series between the two teams in Australia in 2003–04 ended 1–1, with four Tests featuring closely contested cricket. UPDATE — India went on to score 705/7 declared in Sydney which at the time was India highest total against Australia.
Australia were victorious in the 2004–05 series in India, winning it 2–1, and won the home series in 2007–08 also by the same margin.
India’s reactions were particularly robust on Australia’s 2008–09 tour, winning the four-Test series by a margin of 2–0.
The rivalry also grew in importance during this time period, especially in limited-overs cricket, with both teams regularly facing each other at major ICC tournaments.
2010–2014: Border-Gavaskar Trophy Becomes a Major Rivalry
India won the home Test series 2–0 in 2010–11. India toured Australia for the 2011–12 season, where Australia hit-back by winning the series 4–0.
The 2012–13 Australian tour of India matched the home comforts narrative of the rivalry, with India winning by a margin of 4–0 in the Series.
Australia won the four-Test series 2–0 during the Australian tour of 2014–15. Virat Kohli (692 runs) had a much larger impact, and his Australian counterpart cheated him for 769. MS Dhoni had retired from Test cricket and Kohli then also became India’s Test captain in the series.
2016–17: India Win a Closely Fought Series
In Pune, Australia again picked up the series opener 333 runs in front. Steve O’Keefe was the Australian hero, taking 12 wickets across the match.
India bounced back to win in Bengaluru. Drawn Test at Ranchi led to them set up a title-decider in Dharamsala.
In the final Test, India won by eight wickets and won the series 2–1. In the presence of Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane captained India in the final Test.
2018–19: India Win a Test Series in Australia for the First Time
In 2018–19 India made history by becoming the first team to win a Test series in Australia since touring the country.
Adelaide Test: India won, Perth: Australia responded, Boxing Day Test in Melbourne: India. The Sydney Test ended with a draw, resulting in a 2–1 series win to India.
Cheteshwar Pujara was nether behind as he scored 521 runs and was adjudged Player of the Series. India’s pace attack, spearheaded by the trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma also made an important contribution.
2020–21: The Gabba Comeback
Another Indian comeback masterpiece was written during the 2020–21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
In the first Test in Adelaide, India were bowled out for just 36 in their second innings as Australia won by eight wickets. Virat Kohli subsequently returned from the tour and India went through some injury woes as well.
The third Test at Sydney ended with a draw, after Ajinkya Rahane led India to victory in Melbourne.
The series went to the Gabba, where India chased down 328 on the last day. With India’s 2–1 series victory, this ended Australia’s record 32-year unbeaten streak at the Gabba. The likes of Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja played their part in the revival.
2023: Australia Beat India in Two Major Finals
There were two major ICC finals in 2023 between Indian and Australian national teams.
Then in June, it beat India at The Oval and went on to win the ICC World Test Championship Final. Australia then faced off against India again for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Final in November at Ahmedabad.
After being sent in, India posted 240, before Travis Head top-scored with a match-winning 137. Australia completed a title-winning chase in the 43rd over, winning by six wickets. That was Australia’s sixth Men Cricket World Cup championship.
2023–24: India Win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2–1
Australia were continuing their tour of India with a four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
In first two Tests, India won. Out in Indore, Australia bounced back with a nine-wicket success. Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green and Shubman Gill – two from Australia and number one from India – all made major centuries in Ahmedabad Test which drew.
India therefore won the series 2–1, although both teams subsequently met at the 2023 World Test Championship Final where Australia beat India.
2024–25: Australia Regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
The 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy was a five-match Test series in Australia.
The series began with a resounding 295-run victory to India in Perth. Australia answered back with a 10-wicket victory in the Adelaide Test with the Brisbane Test ending in a draw.
Having then handed out a heavy defeat in Melbourne, when they won by 184 runs. Australia won the fifth Test in Sydney by 6 wickets.
This meant Australia completed a 3–1 series victory and qualified for the 2025 World Test Championship Final.
2025: Champions Trophy Semi-Final
On 4 March, ICC Men’s Champions Trophy semi-final India vs Australia again in Dubai.
After being asked to bat first, Australia had scored 264. Winning the toss India chased the target successfully making it 267/6 in just 48.1 overs to win by four wickets.
Images: Virat Kohli; Source: BCCI The outcome placed send India to the Champions Trophy final.
2025: Australia and India ODI Series
In October 2025, Australia played a three-match ODI series against India at home.
In the first ODI in Perth, Australia had triumphed by seven wickets with the help of DLS method. Australia though won the second ODI in Adelaide to take an unassailable lead in the series.
In the third ODI in Sydney, India then replied with a nine wicket victory. Rohit Sharma was unbeaten on 121 along with Virat Kohli who made an not out on 74 as India chased down the total set by Australia. Australia however won the 3-match Series by 2–1.
2025: India Win the T20I Series 2–1
The two teams played then a 5-match T20I series in Australia.
The initial encounter in Canberra was called off and treated as a no result. While Australia secured the second T20I triumphing by four wickets, India retaliated to win the third T20 I by five wickets and then claimed victory for the fourth at 48 runs.
Their last match at the Gabba was washed out after just 4.5 overs of India’s innings due to storm and rain. It secured the series for India 2–1.
Australian Men’s Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Timeline: 2026 Update
Note that your training data ends at October 2026 and the most recently completed ODIs, T20Is significant set of men bilateral meetings between Australia and India have been these series in Australia (2025).
Both these teams last featured during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which took place in India and Sri Lanka from February 07 to March 08. Australia and India, however, did not face each other in that tournament. India went on to win the title by beating New Zealand in the final, played at Ahmedabad.
As a result, the broader rivalry went into 2026 with a long history of high-profile Test series, World Cup matches and ever-more competitive limited-overs battles.
Australia vs India Cricket Rivalry: Key Milestones
| Year | Major Event | Result |
| 1947–48 | First Test series | Australia won 4–0 |
| 2000–01 | Border-Gavaskar Trophy | India won 2–1 |
| 2003–04 | Test series in Australia | Drawn 1–1 |
| 2016–17 | Test series in India | India won 2–1 |
| 2018–19 | First Indian Test series win in Australia | India won 2–1 |
| 2020–21 | Border-Gavaskar Trophy | India won 2–1 |
| 2023 | World Test Championship Final | Australia won |
| 2023 | ODI World Cup Final | Australia won |
| 2023–24 | Border-Gavaskar Trophy | India won 2–1 |
| 2024–25 | Border-Gavaskar Trophy | Australia won 3–1 |
| 2025 | Champions Trophy Semi-Final | India won by 4 wickets |
| 2025 | ODI Series in Australia | Australia won 2–1 |
| 2025 | T20I Series in Australia | India won 2–1 |
| 2026 | Men’s T20 World Cup | No India-Australia meeting |
Conclusion
From the this timeline which includes India’s first Test tour of Australia in 1947–48 to a more recent rivalry that spans almost every major format, including ODIs and T20Is. Australia had a superiority over most of the earlier tests but India grew into a formidable opponent, especially in Test matches. That long-running rivalry has grown new limbs with historic victories in Australia (2018–19, 2020–21), Australia’s triumph over India at the 2023 World Cup and then the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024–25; the white-ball contests in 2025. 2016 – India & Australia played on a regular basis after that.
FAQs
1. When did India and Australia first play each other?
India and Australia first played a Test series during India’s tour of Australia in 1947–48. Australia won the five-match series 4–0.
2. When did India first win a Test series in Australia?
India won its first Test series in Australia in 2018–19 under captain Virat Kohli. India won the four-match series 2–1.
3. Who won the 2020–21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
India won the 2020–21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2–1. The series is remembered for India’s historic victory at the Gabba.
4. Who won the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
Australia won the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3–1, regaining the trophy after India had won the previous four series.
5. What was the latest India vs Australia series result as of 2026?
The latest completed bilateral men’s series was in 2025. India won the five-match T20I series 2–1, while Australia won the three-match ODI series 2–1.
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