Australia have visited India a total of 12 times for a Test series. They have won four of those series, while India have won six, and the rest were draws.
The above numbers count the one-off test series in 1996, even though they really shouldn’t.
Throughout those 12 series, there have been 42 total matches. Australia have won 12, India have won 15, there have been 14 draws, and there was one tie.
There was one six-match series, there have been two five-match series, two four-match series, five two-match series, one two-match series, and one of the aforementioned one-match series. (I have been looking to see if that was a series that involved a no-result or two, or was shortened due to a national emergency, but as far as I can tell it was a planned one test series. Even more odd considering it took place in the pre-T20 era.)
India have won the last two series in Australia: 2008 and 2010. The former a four match series that ended 2-0, and the latter a two match series that also ended 2-0.
That’s right, sports fans, India whitewashed Australia, in India, as recently as 2010. Something to remember when the pundits get all ginned up and start talking about Australia’s whitewash of India in Australia in 2012.
*
The four grounds hosting the four Tests that start next week are as follows (in order of appearance): MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai; Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad; Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh; and Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.
Australia’s records at those grounds:
Chennai: Played six, won one, lost two, tied one, drawn two.
Hyderabad: Australia have never played a Test at this ground
Mohali: Played two, lost two
Delhi: Played six, won one, lost two, drawn three
Delhi was the host ground for the one match series.
It is the second oldest Test ground in India.
Here’s a cool picture:

Australia’s most successful ground in Indian was the Nehru Stadium in Chennai – they won three matches there. But that ground doesn’t exist anymore.
*
The highest combined run total in a Test between Australia and India in India was in 1986 in Madras. The two teams scored 1,488 runs between them.
And, get this: the match ended in a tie.
5 days, 1,488 runs, 401 overs, 2,406 balls: and a tie.
It really is a funny old game, eh?
*
The lowest combined run total in a Test between Australia and India in India was also in 1986, this time in at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. The two teams only scored 314 runs between them.
The first three days were washed out, however.
*
In the previous four-match series between the countries in India, Australia have won one (2004) and India have won one (2008).
There were 3,903 total runs scored off of 7,644 balls in the former, and 5,170 runs off of 9,562 in the latter.
2004 RPO: 3.06. 2008 RPO: 3.24.
*
The entire series will be live on Willow.TV here in the United States.
*
Early prediction: India 2-1 Australia.
*