GOA
India won the three-match One-Day series 1-0 as the final match was abandoned without a ball being bowled at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Margao, Goa on Sunday (October 24).
Heavy rain on the eve of the game clogged the ground and, though the weather was clear on match day, the outfield was not suitable for play. The opening match in Kochi too was also called off due to rain, while India won the second One-Day international in Visakhapatnam by five wickets.
India’s 1-0 series victory was the first against Australia in 24 years. India’s last and only series victory over Australia was in 1986-87 when they won the six-match series 3-2. The washout also meant that this was the first time since 1979-80 tour that Australia left India without winning a single game, including tour matches.
There was also a short tour in 1996 (one Test and one warm-up game) where Australia drew the tour game and lost the Test. It was the fourth One-Day international match between India and Australia and eighth match overall which was abandoned without a ball being bowled on Indian soil.
The cancelled match between India and England at Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad on January 16, 1993 is not included. This match was cancelled following disturbances in Ahmedabed and when the security of the players could not be guaranteed.
The last two matches of the seven-match series between India and England were also cancelled. These matches were to be played at Guwahati on November 29,2008 and at Delhi on December 2,2008 were cancelled following the terrorist attacks on Mumbai.
The Margao match was the 76th occasion of a match being abandoned without a ball being bowled in the history of One-Day internationals. It was 20th occasion for India and 13th occasion for Australia when a limited overs international match was washed out.
