With the much-anticipated India vs Australia series begins at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday, Indian fans would be hoping that their side draws the first blood.An Indian team, stacked with star performers from the recently-concluded IPL 2020, will surely count their chances of clinching a victory under the leadership of Virat Kohli. On paper, India surely seems to have an edge over the host but India's record at the stadium suggests otherwise.
The 172-year-old stadium has its own share of history when it come to hosting India. Playing 18 games at the venue, the Men in Blue won five of them, with the maiden victory coming back in 1985 against England. India then defeated New Zealand in the same series and had to wait for another seven years for their next win at the SCG.
The wait was surely worth it as it came against arch-rival Pakistan at the 1992 World Cup when Mohammed Azharuddin and Co. defeated the Imran Khan-led side and eventual champions by 43 runs.
As far as facing home team Aussies are concerned, the visitors won just two games against them at the ground while losing 12 of them and a match yielded no result in 2015.
The teams first faced off at the ground in early 1981 and from there on Indians had to wait for 27 years to taste first success at the ground with a string nine losses in between.
Considered the best spin friendly wicket in the country, Indians have seldom succeeded in using it to their advantage while their latest win coming in 2016, when Manish Pandey's maiden ODI century helped India avoid the ignominy of a 5-0 clean sweep in the series.
And that first taste of success, also arguably India's memorable victory at the ground, was 2008 CB series first final when Sachin Tendulkar reigned supreme with a charismatic unbeaten 117 while chasing 240 on a sluggish surface.
The victory was also special because this was India's maiden venue over the five-time world champions at the SCG.
