The world's number one Test team Australia takes on world number two India in the 16th meeting for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India are the current holders with Australia's last series win coming in 2014/15. The upcoming 2023 series will be hosted in India and will be a series of four tests commencing in February.
With this series set up to be an excellent display of quality, it is time to take a trip down memory lane and look at the best five Test series against our Indian rivals.
Result: Australia wins 4-0, Michael Clarke Player of the Series.
This absolute demolition of a series was a personal favourite growing up because of the first Test being one of the tightest games, with Australia winning by 122 runs.
There aren't many other Test series that can rival the demolition of this one and it is the equal all-time biggest margin of victory in a Test series between India and Australia. This series was against an excellent India team. Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav were the squad for the first Test.
Absolute legends of the game of cricket, let alone of India.
This team on paper you'd think would put up a real fight against an Australian team. The team for the first Test consisted of Ed Cowan, David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus, and Nathan Lyon.
The first Test saw Australia bowled firstly for 333 runs with Cowan the top scorer. He scored 68 from 177 balls, more than double his eventual Test average of 31.28. India then felt the shimmy of Hilfenhaus who took 5/75, bowling India out for 282. Sehwag, Dravid and Tendulkar all passed 50 and had India at 2/214 but were all clean bowled as India collapsed.
Australia then endured an early collapse at 4/27 with Yadav cleaning through the top order targeting the stumps. Scores from Ponting 60 (97) and Hussey 89 (151) meant Australia managed 240. Australia then ripped through India in just 47.5 overs, resulting in an 122-run win.
Australia backed up the first Test with another brilliant display with bat and ball. India was again quickly dismissed on day one, all out for 191 before a legendary innings commenced. Australia then piled on 659/4 with Clarke and Hussey combining for Australia's 12th highest ever partnership.
Clarke scored (at the time) the fourth highest individual score of 329 not out. Not to mention the fact Ponting notched 134 and Hussey scored 150 not out. India replied with a respectable 400 with an impressive 62 from Ashwin but the damage had been done. Australia won by an innings and 68 runs.
India then lost back-to-back games by over an innings. A rare sight for a team of their quality. Australia dismissed them for just 161 this time before David Warner and Ed Cowan combined for a 214-run opening partnership. Australia ended with 369 total and bowled India for 171. India finished with four ducks including two golden ducks, losing by an innings and 37 runs.
The record books were again written in the final Test as Ponting and Clarke both made over 200 runs each. Ponting with 221, Clarke with 210. It is the fifth highest ever Australian partnership of all-time, and one of only 17 times two players have both scored double-centuries in an innings.
The Aussies declared for 604/7, with Peter Siddle then taking 5/49 leaving India in deep trouble again. All out for 272, only a Virat Kohli century saved them for further embarrassment. Australia declared quickly at 167/5 then wrapped up a whitewash, winning by 298 runs.
Result: Australia wins 3-2.
This classic series is the most competitive series between India and Australia ever. It is known for 41-year-old Bob Simpson coming out of retirement to haunt India, finishing as the top run scorer with 539 in total.
The first Test was incredibly close with Australia scoring 166 and India scoring 153. Bob Simpson then did the impossible, returning with 89 from 269 balls with the great Jeff Thomson adding 41 not out. Australia built a good lead with a second innings total of 327.
India then fell agonisingly close scoring 324, losing by 16 runs. Legend Sunil Gavaskar edged behind on 113, but the work of Thomson and Wayne Clark did the damage with nine combined wickets.
The second Test was another belter with Australia in pole position to win the series. Mohinder Amarnath and Chetan Chauhan both fell agonisingly close to centuries with 90 and 88 runs each. India was in a good place with 402 runs on the board.
Until Bob Simpson worked his magic again, battering India for 176 runs with Australia almost matching India's total with 394 runs. Gavsaskar and Amarnath then scored centuries before an Indian collapse left India on 330/9 before declaring.
Bishan Bedi took a 10-wicket haul for the match, but it wasn't enough to stop the Aussies who won with just two wickets in hand thanks to 105 runs from Tony Mann, and 83 from Peter Toohey.
The series took another dramatic twist when India turned up the heat to smash Australia in back-to-back Tests by 222 runs and an innings and two runs.
Bhagwath Chandrasekhar took crazy identical figures with 6/52 from 14.1 overs in the first innings and the same in the second from 20 overs. Bowling Australia for just 213 and 164. The fourth game was much of the same.
Australian fell for a measly 131 with India taking full advantage declaring for 396/8. Six Indian batters totalled over 40 runs in the process. India then did the damage with the ball in the second innings. Australia all out for 263, India winning by an innings and two runs.
The series was now down to the final Test in Adelaide. Chandrasekhar's 5/136 was in vain, with the Aussies piling on 505 runs with centuries for Simpson and Graham Yallop.
India was bowled for 269 with an Australian reply of 256 leaving India with a massive task to win an incredible series. The series wrapping up in stunning fashion with India desperately taking their time to grind out a result. 50's for Amarnath, Gundappa Visnanath, Dilip Vengsarkar and Syed Kirmani meant India scored 445.
The result just, 47 runs short, meant Australia won an incredible 3-2 series with the returning Bob Simpson the hero.
Result: India wins 2-1, Harbhajan Singh Player of the Series.
An underrated classic, the closely fought 2000/01 series was a three-match series where every game was vastly different. The conclusion to the series leaving Australia so close to a massive series win.
The first Test was a convincing win by the Australians in Wankhede after a brilliant bowling display. Sachin Tendulkar was the only Indian to pass 50 in the Test match, scoring 76 off 114 in the first innings. Shane Warne claimed 4/47 and the Indians were all out for 176.
Harbhajan Singh then claimed four as well, with the big wicket of Adam Gilchrist who smoked India at an 108.92 strike rate for 122. Matthew Hayden impressed also with 119 from 172.
Australia's 349 meant India needed to score at least 350+ to have any chance of winning but they failed to do so. India fell for 219 with Tendulkar again the only one to pass 50 with his 65 off 107. Mark Waugh had a rare Australian-best bowling performance for the innings taking 3/40.
Australia needed few runs and finished 0/47, smashing India by 10 wickets.
The second Test was sweet revenge for India as they produced a big win in their favour. Australia batted well with Hayden scoring 97, Justin Langer scoring 58, Steve Waugh scoring 110, and Jason Gillespie scoring 46. Singh was India's shining light as he dismissed seven.
India then batted terribly, with Glenn McGrath taking 4/18 and wrapping up the home side for just 171 sending them in again to bat. It was seemingly going to be a huge win for Australia, wrapping up the series.
However, India had other plans. VVS Laxman scored a career best 281 runs with Rahul Dravid scoring 180 before being run out. Australia were shellshocked and used nine bowlers to try and get a wicket. India who had to bat twice in a row now were in a position to shockingly declare. 657/7 was the score they declared on.
Australia begun well with Hayden scoring 67 and Slater scoring 43, but Singh once again ripped through the middle order taking 6/73, giving India an 171-run almost impossible victory.
The third and final Test was now totally different and was a slim margin of victory. Bringing this brilliant series to a cracking finale.
Matthew Hayden again scored runs for Australia with a whopping 203. Captain Steve Waugh had an interesting dismissal of handling the ball. Australia made a good score of 391 with Singh the kryptonite once again. He took 7/133.
India responded brilliantly with Tendulkar scoring 126 runs, with four other top six batters passing 50. India made 501, giving themselves a significant lead of over 100 runs.
Singh was absolutely incredible and bowled over 41 overs, taking 8/84. Australia fizzled out for just 264 with India looking like they would get an easy victory. But there were more twists to come.
India was cruising at 3/117 but collapsed in stunning fashion losing 5/34 and giving Australia a slim chance of victory. But it wasn't to be for Australia. India scraped home the victory by two wickets, claiming an amazing series victory.
Result: Australia wins 2-1 (1 draw), Damien Martyn Player of the Series.
It was Australia's first Test win on Indian soil since 1969/70 and was the debut series for legend Michael Clarke. To this day this series was the last Test series won in India by Australia.
Michael Clarke made his debut in staggering fashion winning Player of the Match. Of Australia's 474 in the first innings, Clarke bagged 151 of them. Adam Gilchrist scored a run-a-ball 104, with Simon Katich making 81. The Australian wicket-taker specialist Harbhajan Singh took five wickets.
Glenn McGrath claimed two early wickets with India left at 2/4. They couldn't match Australia after that and were knocked over for 246. Singh once again the man, taking 6/78 with Australia only making 228 leaving the door open slightly for India.
India needed a good start to the innings and a big total, but they failed. At 4/19 India would've needed a miracle. A good late effort from bowlers Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan scoring 55, 42 and 22 not out was not even close to enough. Australia starts the series well, winning by 217 runs.
The second Test ended in a stalemate meaning the series was still up for grabs for both teams. Damien Martyn made 104 for Australia with Virender Sehwag scoring 155. Anil Kumble was key with the ball, taking 13 wickets for the match.
Australia then won a historic series with an easy 342 run victory. Martyn scored big runs once again with 114, with youngster Clarke falling short of a century with 91. Jason Gillespie took five wickets as India made 185.
Then more Australians fell just short of 100, with Martyn making 97, Katich making 99 and Clarke making 73. It was an easy declaration at 329/5. India was then subjected to one of their biggest home losses.
Wrapped up for 200, Australia had their series win in India.
The final Test was inconsequential and low scoring. India won by 13 runs after Australia got bowled out for 93 after Singh took 5/29 in the final innings.
Results: India won 2-1 (1 draw). Pat Cummins Player of the Series.
The most recent and for India, regarded as one of, if not their best all-time Test series victory.
The first Test shocked the world with India's lowest ever Test score. This first Test looked to set the tone for an Australian series win, but drama was to come.
Virat Kohli was India's best batter before being run out in 74 by Ajinkya Rahane who fell on 42 soon after. India set a total of 244. Australia then was handed a reality check after being bowled for just 191. But an unbeaten 73 not out knock from captain Tim Paine helped the score.
India then had one of the worst Test innings of all time. 36 all out with Josh Hazlewood claiming 5/8. Not one batter made it to double figures in runs. Mayank Agarwal the top run scorer with nine runs.
Australia then easily claimed victory by eight wickets, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
The second Test saw an incredibly quick turnaround for India who proved many doubters wrong, bowling the Aussies for 195. They then established a good lead with Rahane again involved in a run out, this time his own wicket at stake for a well-made 112.
Mohammed Siraj had a breakout performance taking 3/37 off 21.3 overs leaving a small total for India to chase for victory. Australia couldn't repeat the embarrassment from the first Test, and India ended 70/2, winning by eight wickets.
The third Test left the series on a knife's edge, ending with a hard-fought draw. Steve Smith impressed before another run out on 131, Marnus Labuschagne making 91. Pat Cummins delivered an economical spell taking 4/29 off 21.4 overs before putting good runs on the board. Declaring at 312/6 after Smith scored 81 and Cameron Green blasted four massive sixes to make 84 runs.
India grinded out the draw after losing their main top order batters with Rohit Sharma making 52, Cheteshwar Pujara making 77 and Rishabh Pant making 97. Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin did the job scoring at very low strike rates. Vihari made 23 from 161, with Ashwin making 39 from 128.
The final Test saw India claim a monumental series victory with a three-wicket win. A respectable 369 off the back of a Labuschagne century was a good start for the Aussies. But India returned serve with 336 of their own hanging the Test series in the balance.
Siraj performed for India again with 5/73, with key wickets of Smith and Labuschagne. Cummins 4/55 wasn't enough to stop India who can thank Shubman Gill's 91 and Rishabh Pant's 89 not out for a three-wicket win and a famous series win.