India will open their Cricket World Cup campaign with a blockbuster encounter against Australia, the most successful team in the competition, on Sunday.
While many regard an India-Pakistan fixture as the biggest game in cricket, former players and pundits have often described an India-Australia match as the contest that eventually decides the outcome of a tournament like the World Cup.
India-Australia Game Decides the Winner of World Cups
For instance, former India opener Gautam Gambhir underlined the significance of the match against Australia by recalling past incidents in 2007 and 2011.
On both occasions, the Men in Blue defeated the Kangaroos to lift the T20 World Cup and the ODI World Cup respectively.
"Look, I have always said this, and there is no doubt in this, that if you want to win the World Cup, then you have to beat Australia. In 2007 when we won the World Cup, we defeated Australia in the semifinal. In 2011 when we won the World Cup, we beat Australia in the quarterfinal", Gambhir told Star Sports.
Delhi Daredevils' Gautam Gambhir walks back after his dismissal during VIVO IPL cricket T20 match against Kolkata Night Riders in Kolkata, India, Monday, April 16, 2018.
© AP Photo / Bikas Das
Notably, Gambhir was among the men who played a crucial role in India's triumph against Australia in the 2011 World Cup, scoring a half-century at an important juncture, especially after the Indians lost an early wicket in the form of Virender Sehwag.
"Australia is the strongest team in any ICC tournament. Remove the ranking, ranking does not matter. You can be in any position in the rankings, but Australia, when it comes to those big tournaments, the World Cups, I think Australia has got the players, they have got the self-belief, Australia has the ability to play those big moments really well", he added.
Rivalry Between the Men in Blue and the Kangaroos is For the Ages
Gambhir pointed out that Australia has been a thorn in the flesh of Indians, especially in International Cricket Council (ICC) events.
For example, the Australians defeated India in the 2015 World Cup semifinals, and in the final of the 2003 edition of the competition, which was played in South Africa.
Furthermore, India also lost to Australia in the World Test Championship earlier this year in England to extend their drought in ICC events to 10 years.
The South Asian side last won an ICC tournament in 2013, when the Indians bagged the Champions Trophy crown by beating England in the final.
Since then, India has lost two World Test Championship finals, a similar number of semis in ODI World Cups, a final, and two semifinals in T20 World Cups.
Australia is also the only team to have won the World Cup on five different occasions and thrice in a row.
All other sides, except India and the West Indies, have won the event only once. India and the West Indies are two-time winners of the tournament.
On the flip side, India is the only team to trump Australia in consecutive Test series at home, having won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2019 and 2021 under the captaincy of Virat Kohli.
India's Ravindra Jadeja plays a shot during the third one day international cricket match between Australia and India in Rajkot, India, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023.
© AP Photo / Ajit Solanki
India-Australia - Most Important Match of the World Cup
That's why an India-Australia game, particularly in an ICC tournament, is regarded as the mother of all games.
Gambhir believes that if India has to win the World Cup this year, Rohit Sharma and his boys will have to overcome the challenge of Australia.
"I believe that if we have to win the World Cup this year, Australia is going to be the most important game, and we start against Australia, so there is nothing better than that. So beating Australia is very, very important", he concluded.