“Oh, he’s hit this one high up! Great shot! Oh, it’s a biggie. Straight over the top! The little man has hit the big fellow for a six. He’s half his size and he’s smashed it down the ground. What a player! What a wonderful player!”

Read these lines. Close your eyes. Do you hear Tony Greig’s voice screaming at you?

The India-Australia rivalry took a completely different turn after Sachin Tendulkar’s masterclass at Sharjah. A cricket fan’s library will remain incomplete if there is no mention of an India-Australia encounter.

These two top cricketing nations have given enough for us to feel nostalgic, reminisce and hope for plenty more in the near future to come.

Over the years, India and Australia have produced numerous memorable contests that have witnessed some even more memorable performances. Now with another India vs Australia series just about to begin, we look back at some of the finest of the lot that have come from MI players donning the Indian colours.

Sachin Tendulkar, Sharjah (1998)

This tale is a pick from the archives that has gathered dust over the years, not because of how old it is but because of the desert storm that overshadowed the Sharjah field in April 1998. The natural storm, however, was not the one the Australians were dreading.

A formidable Aussie bowling unit failed to tame the storm that came in the form of Sachin Tendulkar. The Master Blaster, in a span of three days, registered scores of 143 and 134 to lead India to victory in the 1998 Coca-Cola Cup tri-series in the United Arab Emirates.

Yuvraj Singh, Sydney (2004)

‘An in-trouble India, an inspiring Yuvraj knock’ is a tale one has seen unfolding several times, against several opponents. One of the earliest occurrences was in 2004, on January 22, when Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee and Andy Bichel had got India struggling at 80/3. Partnering with VVS Laxman, not only did Yuvraj steer the Indian ship to safety but also scored a brilliant 122-ball 139.

He flicked whatever was bowled to him on his pads, drove over-pitched deliveries and was hooking the short ball that came his way at the Sydney Cricket Ground. This knock will also remain one of Yuvraj Singh’s best in ODIs.

Rohit Sharma, Bengaluru (2013)

Every impressive Rohit Sharma knock follows the same script. A sedate start precedes a spell of effortless batting which is capped off with a ruthless hammering of the cricket ball. On November 2, 2013, a similar knock was witnessed by the Chinnaswamy crowd where the Hitman became the third Indian and, in fact, only the third batsman in the world back then to hit a double ton.

On his way to a blistering 209, Rohit cleared the Chinnaswamy fence 16 times to get one more than Shane Watson’s record of 15 sixes.

Rohit Sharma, Perth (2016)

On January 12, 2016, another Hitman masterclass was witnessed by Perth where the Indian opener batted through the course of the first innings hitting 171* runs in the process.

Rohit paced his innings particularly well. He was quick to improvise and scored runs in plenty behind the square. His hundred came in 122 balls and the Hitman accelerated from there on, scoring his next 71 runs in just 41 balls.

Even though the Steve Smith-inspired side won the game, the exhibition of quality batting from the Hitman helped him climb up the list of the most prolific batsmen in world cricket.

Jasprit Bumrah, Sydney (2016)

On January 23, 2016, a young, lanky Jasprit Bumrah made his debut against the Kangaroos during the fifth ODI of the bilateral series. Arriving at the international level in fine style, he dented the hosts’ line-up by picking the prized wicket of Steve Smith.

Finishing with figures of 10-0-40-2, he also sent James Faulkner packing, unsurprisingly, with an inch-perfect yorker. An early glimpse of Boom in the Indian attire, don’t you think?

Hardik Pandya, Chennai (2017)

Hardik Pandya’s aggressive best was seen plenty of times in 2017. From the IPL to the Champions Trophy, he was striking the ball cleanly.

In September 2017, Australia’s Adam Zampa was taken to the cleaners when Hardik muscled him for three back-to-back sixes. He went on to score 83 crucial runs which came in the company of MS Dhoni. Not to forget, India went onto post 281 after being reduced to 87/5.

After his entertaining knock, Hardik also contributed with the ball by picking two wickets as India won by 26 runs (D/L method).

We hope to see more of these swashbuckling performances as India prepare to host Aaron Finch’s Australia first in the three-match T20I series starting from February 24 followed by the five-match ODI series later in March.