For the second time this year, India and Australia clash in the final of a Limited Overs International tournament tomorrow.
The first final encounter between the two giants, in the 2003 World Cup at the Wanderers, Johannesburg, turned out to be an embarrassingly one-sided affair, with the result clear by the time Australia had finished batting after being put in by Sourav Ganguly.
This time, in the TVS Cup tri-series final at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Indian fans will be hoping that the result is reversed.
While India will be looking to extract revenge for their World Cup defeat, the world champions will be looking to just continue their good form. And, going by their current form and their record against India, it is going to be an uphill task for Ganguly's gang to conquer Australia. Even at home, India have not dominated the Aussies, winning just 12 of their 28 LOI encounters, while the visitors have won 13.
The overall LOI record between the two is worse. Australia is miles ahead, winning 43 of their 72 matches; India has won just 26.
TABLE.sco{COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: arial; FONT-SIZE: 12px; TEXT-DECORATION: none}LOIs played in India:
| P | Won by Australia | Won by India | NR/Tie |
| 28 | 13 | 12 | 3 |
Overall LOI record:
| P | Won by Australia | Won by India | NR/Tie |
| 72 | 43 | 26 | 3 |
Finals, head-to-head India and Australia have played each other eight times in finals of LOI tournaments featuring three or more teams, and India's record is pathetic. The Indians have won just two of these finals, both at Sharjah. Australia's most recent win in the final came, of course, in the 2003 World Cup.
Year
Tournament
Venue
Winner
2003
World Cup
Johannesburg
Aus, by 125 runs
1998
Coca-Cola Cup
Sharjah
Ind, by 6 wickets
1998
Pepsi Cup
New Delhi
Aus, by 4 wickets
1992
World Series
(1st final)Melbourne
Aus, by 88 runs
1992
World Series
(2nd final)Sydney
Aus, by 6 runs
1986
World Series
(1st final)Sydney
Aus, by 11 runs
1986
World Series
(2nd final)Melbourne
Aus, by 7 wickets
1985
Rothmans Cup
Sharjah
Ind, by 3 wickets