This match was the 2086th Limited Over International in cricket history.
The dismissal of Sourav Ganguly was the 300th for Adam Gilchrist. He became the first wicketkeeper in LOI history to achieve the landmark. At the end of the match, Gilchrist has a tally of 302 dismissals (264 catches and 38 stumpings) from 177 matches to his name.
The 213-run partnership between VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh for the fourth wicket is the highest partnership for any wicket for India against Australia. The pair surpassed the previous record stand of 199 runs between Sachin Tendulkar and Laxman for the second wicket, at Indore on 31-03-2001.
Laxman and Yuvraj also put into shade the previous record partnership for the fourth wicket, which was of 187 runs, between Zimbabwe's Stuart Carlisle and Grant Flower at Perth on 04-02-2001.
The above partnership is also the second highest by any country for any wicket against Australia after the 237-run partnership between Sri Lanka's Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya for first wicket on this same ground on 09-01-2003.
This above partnership also obliterated the 132-run partnership between Sachin Tendulkar and Ajay Jadeja at Dhaka on 28-10-1998, which was India's previous highest for fourth wicket against Australia. Incidentally the previous record fourth wicket partnership for India against Australia in Australia was a paltry 109 between Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid at Melbourne on 12-01-2000. Just for the record, India's previous highest partnership for any wicket in Australia was 133 between Laxman and Dravid for the third wicket at Brisbane in the fifth match of this series on 18-01-2004.
The above partnership is India's second highest for the fourth wicket. The best, however, still remains 275 (unbroken) between Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja against Zimbabwe at Cuttack on 09-04-1998.
The above partnership is also the fourth highest for a losing side. Interestingly, there have been five double hundred partnerships for losing sides and India have been involved in all of them - thrice making the opponents to lose the match and twice losing the match themselves.
Yuvraj Singh (139) made his highest score in LOIs. His previous highest was 102* (off 85 balls) against Bangladesh in a TVS Cup match at Dhaka on 11-04-2003. Yuvraj's previous highest against Australia was 84 (off 80 balls) in the ICC Trophy at Nairobi on 07-10-2000 in his debut innings.
Yuvraj's innings is now the highest innings by any batsman at Sydney. He bettered Australia's Greg Chappell's 138* (off 109 balls) against New Zealand on 25-11-1980. The previous highest individual innings for India on this ground was 92* by Sunil Gavaskar also against Australia on 21-01-1986 (Later Laxman also surpassed Gavaskar's score).
Yuvraj's innings is also the highest for India against Australia in Australia. The previous best was VVS Laxman's 103* in the fifth match of this series at Brisbane on 18-01-2004.
Yuvraj's innings is the second highest by an Indian batsman on Australian soil against all countries after Sourav Ganguly's 141 (off 144 balls) against Pakistan at Adelaide on 25-01-2000.
Yuvraj's 139 is now the third highest score by any Indian batsman that could not fetch a win for his side. Sachin Tendulkar's 146 (v Zimbabwe at Jodhpur on 08-12-2000) and 143 (v Australia at Sharjah on 22-04-1998) are the top scores by an Indian ending on losing side.
Yuvraj scored 76 runs in boundaries - 16 fours and two sixes. With this he equalled Sachin Tendulkar's Indian record of scoring most runs in boundaries in an innings against Australia. Tendulkar had hit 19 fours during his identical score of 139 at Indore on 31-03-2001.
VVS Laxman (106*) scored the fourth hundred of his career. Incidentally, all his four hundreds
have come against Australia. He made 101 (off 107 balls) at Margao on 06-04-2001 and 102 (off 134 balls) at Gwalior on 26-10-2003 in successive innings and then again 103* (off 113 balls) at Brisbane on 18-01-2004 and 106* (off 130 balls) in this match in successive innings.
Laxman has now joins Englishman Graham Gooch with four hudreds. Only fellow team mate Sachin Tendulkar (7) and West Indian Desmond Haynes (6) have scored more hundreds in a career than Laxman against Australia.
Laxman also became the first Indian batsman to score two hundreds against Australia in Australia.
Laxman and Yuvraj provided the sixth instance of two batsmen scoring hundreds in same innings against Australia. It was however only the third time that two batsmen scored hundreds in the same innings against Australia on Australian soil. Brian Lara and Carl Hopper, for West Indies at Brisbane on 05-01-1997, and Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya, for Sri Lanka, at this same ground on 09-01-2003 have performed this feat.
Laxman and Yuvraj also provided the second such instance for India against Australia. The previous instance was seen at Gwalior in the TVS Cup on 26-10-2003 when Sachin Tendulkar (100) and Laxman (102) made hundreds.
Yuvraj and Laxman scored 22 runs off the penultimate over of Indian innings (bowled by Ian Harvey) with Yuvraj scoring as many as 21 of them. The sequence - 1 1 6 4 4 6.
India's total of 296 for four is their highest total at Sydney surpassing the 235 for 9 against England on 26-02-1985. India's previous highest against Australia at Sydney was 215 for 8 on 15-01-1981. It is also the second highest total by any side against Australia on this ground after Sri Lanka's 343 for 5 on 09-01-2003.
The above total is also India's second highest on Australian soil after 303 for 4 also against Australia at Brisbane in the fifth match of this series on 18-01-2004.
During his scintillating knock of 95, Gilchrist became the leading run-scorer as a wicketkeeper in LOIs. He moved ahead of Zimbabwean Andy Flower's tally of 5835 runs from 185 appearances. At the end of this match, Gilchrist's tally stands at 5929 runs in 177 matches in which he has kept wicket (Gilchrist had played five matches as a specialist batsman aggregating 209 runs).
Gilchrist also became first wicketkeeper to complete 3000 runs in day-night matches. At the end of this match, Gilchrist has aggregated 3034 runs in 87 day-night matches at an average of 37.93. No other 'keeper has even aggregated 2000!
Gilchrist 's 95 is his fourth score in the 90s. With this he equalled Allan Border's tally of nineties. Now only Dean Jones - with six scores in ninety - is ahead of Gilchrist for Australia.
Damien Martyn was dismissed without scoring for the eighth time in his career. It was the third time Martyn got out to the first ball. He also recorded a golden duck against India in the opening match of this series at Melbourne on 09-01-2004.
Sourav Ganguly's figures of 3-41 are his best bowling figures against Australia, obliterating the previous best of one for 4 at Galle on 23-08-1999.His figures are also the second best by an Indian captain against Australia after Kapil Dev's 5 for 43 at Nottingham on 13-06-1983.
The defeat by two wickets is one of the narrowest for India. India have lost three matches by one wicket and five (including this one) by two wickets.
India lost off the penultimate ball of the match. This was the fifth such occasion for India. On five other occasions India have faced defeat on the last ball of the match while defending a target.
The win was Australia's ninth in as many matches against India at Sydney.
The man-of-the-match award was seventh of his career and second in successive matches for Yuvraj.