India and Australia are the leading contenders in any Cricket World Cups they are involved in. Australia has had a better history when the two teams met in the biggest stage of the 50-overs cricket format, whereas it is India who has dominated in the last few years.
Team India played some really dominating cricket against the Australians across formats thanks to the excellent records of their batting duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who possess great numbers against the Australian side.
In this article, we look at their head-to-head stats and the match results between India and Australia in the history of the ODI World Cup.
In 12 editions of the quadrennial competition, India and Australia have faced each other in 13 One-Day International (ODI) World Cup matches. With a 61.53% win record in this World Cup matchup, Australia has the upper hand. In India vs. Australia World Cup ODI encounters, the five-time world champions had eight wins to India’s five.
| Matches Played | 13 |
|---|---|
| Australia Won | 8 |
| India Won | 5 |
| Tied/No Result | 0 |
| Highest Score | Australia: 359 in 2003 (final) |
| Lowest Score | India: 125 in 2003 (group game) |
| Highest Individual Score | Ricky Ponting (140*) |
| Best Bowling Figures | Damien Fleming (5/36) |
Let’s take a look at the results of each match.
India vs Australia: All Results in Cricket World Cup
| Date | Winner | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| June 13, 1983 | Australia won by 162 runs | Trent Bridge, Nottingham |
| June 20, 1983 | India won by 118 runs | County Ground, Chelmsford |
| October 9, 1987 | Australia won by 1 run | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| October 22, 1987 | India won by 56 runs | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi |
| March 1, 1992 | Australia won by 1 run | The Gabba, Brisbane |
| February 27, 1996 | Australia won by 16 runs | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| June 4, 1999 | Australia won by 77 runs | The Oval, London |
| February 15, 2003 | Australia won by 9 wickets | SuperSport Park, Centurion |
| March 23, 2003 | Australia won by 125 runs | The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg |
| March 24, 2011 | India won by 5 wickets | Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| March 26, 2015 | Australia won by 95 runs | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney |
| June 9, 2019 | India won by 36 runs | The Oval, London |
| October 8, 2023 | India won by 6 wickets | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
1983: Trent Bridge and Chelmsford
The two sides first met on June 13, 1983, as part of India’s World Cup victory. In that edition, they played two games in England. Despite losing by 162 runs to Australia in the first league match at Trent Bridge, Kapil Dev’s side bounced back with a 118-run win at Chelmsford in the second league game.
1987: Chennai and Delhi
On October 9, 1987, the two teams played their first match in the 1987 World Cup at Madras (now Chennai). Australia won by one run while defending 270 on a slow track thanks to Craig McDermott’s bowling spell of 4/56.
When the two teams met again in the second league game in Delhi, India won by 56 runs. Sunil Gavaskar, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Mohammad Azharuddin all scored half-centuries as India finished with a total of 289 for 6 after 50 overs. Azharuddin and left-arm spinner Maninder Singh both took three wickets as Australia were dismissed for 233 in 49 overs.
1992: Brisbane
For the second time in the ICC Cricket ODI World Cup, Australia defeated India by a single run, and it happened in their own backyard in Brisbane, where they co-hosted the event with New Zealand in 1992. Since then, Australia has gone five games unbeaten against India, including a thrashing in the 2003 World Cup final.
1996: Mumbai
The two sides faced each other at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Mark Waugh’s 126 took Australia’s total to 258 runs. In response, India lost quick wickets, but later Sachin Tendulkar and Sanjay Manjrekar stitched a crucial partnership. After Tendulkar’s dismissal on 90 runs, the wickets kept falling at regular intervals, which resulted in India losing the match by 16 runs.
Also Read | Top 10: Batsman with Most 90s in ODI Cricket
1999: The Oval
This match saw the only century scored by Ajay Jadeja in his World Cup appearances. However, it wasn’t enough, as India lost the match by 77 runs while chasing the target of 283 set by the Aussies.
2003: Centurion and Johannesburg
India and Australia met twice in the 2003 ODI World Cup. First, both teams faced off in a league-stage match in Centurion, where India posted a meagre 125 runs on the board and Australia chased down with 9 wickets to spare.
The second time, both sides squared off in the final of the tournament. However, the result was the same in the title clash.
