Best Border-Gavaskar Tests: No.5

To whet the appetite of fans ahead of the first Test of the summer, cricket.com.au is counting down the best eight Australia v India Test matches since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was introduced in 1996.

The two nations have played out some absolute classics in those 22 years, and they'll add another chapter to the rivalry when Australia host India over the next couple of months.

Best Border-Gavaskar Test

8) A masterclass from the Little Master

7) Lyon's eight can't stop India

6) An emotional tribute to a lost mate

5) Clarke heroics seal controversial victory

5. Second Test, Sydney Cricket Ground, 2008

Australia 463 (Symonds 162no, Hogg 79, Kumble 4-106) and 7-401 declared (Hussey 145no, Hayden 123, Symonds 61, Kumble 4-108) beat India 532 (Tendulkar 154no, Laxman 109, Harbhajan 63, Lee 5-119) and 210 (Ganguly 51, Clarke 3-5, Symonds 3-51) by 122 runs

With a series triumph and a world-record equalling 16th consecutive Test match win on the line, Australia ran into a defiant Indian outfit shortly after the arrival of the 2008 New Year.

The home side led 1-0 after a Boxing Day triumph, a win that put Ricky Ponting's team one short of Steve Waugh's Australians from seven years prior, who had made it 16 straight wins until being beaten by India in the epic Kolkata Test of 2001.

However, a disastrous opening to this second Test for Australia put the tourists immediately in the frame to again end the hosts' run and draw level in the four-match series.

Australia slipped to 6-134 on day one, with Indian spin pair Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh finding their groove at the SCG.

It was up to the unlikely pair of Andrew Symonds and left-arm spinner Brad Hogg to save face. Symonds enjoyed no small dose of fortune with umpiring decisions and dropped catches, but in between he was brilliant, playing the innings of his Test career to force Australia back into a contest that see-sawed dramatically for the ensuing four days.

Hogg produced a Test-best 79, allowing Australia to recover to 463, but when Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman – two men who had more than their fair share of days out at the SCG – produced two sublime knocks for India, they were able to build a first-innings advantage of 69.

In a match that contained no shortage of outstanding individual performances, Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey spurred Australia on with a pair of hundreds second time around, but with the declaration delayed until shortly before lunch on day five, a draw appeared the near-certain outcome.

Brett Lee struck in the first over of the final innings, but with India 3-79 at tea and experienced heads Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly established in the middle, Australia's chances of seven wickets in the final session seemed remote.

With India seven wickets down and the shadows growing long across the SCG, Ponting threw the ball to Michael Clarke.

The rest is a familiar tale; with Clarke's second over – the penultimate of the match – the left-arm orthodox part-timer snared three wickets in five balls to complete a miraculous, controversial and historic victory.

Domain Test Series v India

Dec 6-10: First Test, Adelaide Oval

Dec 14-18: Second Test, Perth Stadium

Dec 26-30: Third Test, MCG

Jan 3-7: Fourth Test, SCG

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c, wk), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Mitch Marsh (vc), Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain

India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Parthiv Patel (wk), Ravi Ashwin, Ravi Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar