India vs Australia, Johannesburg

• Sourav Ganguly led the side in his 100th match since his first as a replacement captain (for Sachin Tendulkar) against the West Indies at Singapore on 5-9-1999. He becomes the second Indian (after Mohammad Azharuddin, 174 matches) and the 11th skipper in LOIs to reach this landmark.
• Ricky Ponting's unbeaten 140 was the highest score by an Australian batsman against India eclipsing the previous best of 133 not out by Mark Waugh at Pune on 28-3-2001.
• Ponting also made the highest individual score in a World Cup final, edging past the previous best of 138 not out by West Indian Viv Richards, against England at Lord's on 23-6-1979.
• It was the highest score made by an Australian captain in LOIs, obliterating the unbeaten 138 by Greg Chappell against New Zealand at Sydney on 25-11-1980.
• This was the highest score made by any batsman (and also by an Australian) against India in the World Cup. Englishman Dennis Amiss had made 137 at Lord's on 7-6-1975, while Australian Mark Waugh had made 126 against India at Mumbai in the 1996 World Cup on 27-2-1996.
• Ricky Ponting now has an aggregate of 209 runs in three World Cup finals (in 1996, 1999 and 2003). This is the maximum for any batsman, bettering the previous best of 176 runs in three World Cup finals (in 1975, 1979, 1983) by West Indian Viv Richards.
• The eight sixes by Ponting was the most hit by any batsman in a World Cup match. West Indian Viv Richards (181 against Sri Lanka at Karachi on 13-10-1987) and Indian Sourav Ganguly (183 against Sri Lanka at Taunton on 26-5-1999) had hit seven sixes each.
• Incidentally these were the most sixes hit by any captain in a LOI match.
• The unbeaten partnership of 234 runs for the third wicket between Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn surpassed the following landmarks:
• the previous best partnership for any wicket for Australia in a World Cup final, which was the 105 runs put on between teammates Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden for the first wicket in this very match. The previous best prior to this match was the 101 stand between Mark Taylor and Ponting for the second wicket against Sri Lanka at Lahore in the 1996 final on 17-3-1996.
• the previous best partnership for the third wicket by any team at this ground, which was the 106 runs between South Africans Hansie Cronje and Jonty Rhodes against Australia on 19-2-1994.
• the previous best partnership for the third wicket by any team against India in the World Cup which was the 118 runs between Kenyans Kennedy Obuya and Steve Tikolo at Bristol on 23-5-1999.
• the previous best partnership for the third wicket for Australia against India which was the 137 runs put on between Dean Jones and Allan Border at Adelaide on 15-12-1991.
• the previous best partnership for the third wicket in a World Cup final, which was the 139 runs between Pakistanis Javed Miandad & Imran Khan against England at Melbourne during the 1992 final on 25-3-1992.
• the previous best partnership for any wicket in a World Cup final, which was the 149 runs between West Indians Rohan Kanhai and Clive Lloyd for the fourth wicket against Australia at Lord's during the 1975 final on 21-6-1975.
• the previous best partnership for the third wicket by any team on South African soil, which was the unbeaten 172 runs between the home team's Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis against Sri Lanka at Kimberley on 4-12-2002.
• the previous best partnership for any wicket by any team against India in the World Cup which was the 176 runs between Englishmen Dennis Amiss and Keith Fletcher for the 2nd wicket at Lord's 7-6-1975.
• the previous best partnership for any wicket by any team at this ground, which was the 193 runs between Indians Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar for the opening wicket against the home side on 5-10-2001.
• the previous best partnership for any wicket for Australia in the World Cup which was the 207 runs also for the third wicket between the Waugh brothers (Mark and Steve) against Kenya at Visakhapatnam on 23-2-1996.
• the previous best partnership for any wicket for Australia against India which was the 219 runs put on between Matthew Hayden and Ponting for the 2nd wicket at Visakhapatnam on 3-4-2001 (incidentally, the Australian pair just failed to surpass the all time best partnership for any wicket by any team against India, which still remains as the 235 runs put on between South Africans Hershelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten for the first wicket at Kochi on 9-3-2000).
• the previous best partnership for the third wicket for Australia in LOIs which was the unbeaten 224 runs put on between Dean Jones and Allan Border against Sri Lanka at Adelaide on 28-1-1995.
• the previous best partnership for any wicket for Australia in LOIs which was the 225 runs put on between Adam Gilchrist and Ponting for the 2nd wicket against England at Melbourne on 15-12-2002.
• the previous best partnership for the third wicket by any team against India which was the unbeaten 230 runs put on between Pakistanis Saeed Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed at Dhaka on 18-1-1998.

• Incidentally, the Australian pair just failed to surpass the best partnership for the third wicket in the World Cup, which still remains as the unbeaten 237 runs between Indians Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid against Kenya at Bristol on 23-5-1999.

• Meanwhile, Australia's 359-2 bettered the following:
• the previous highest total made in a 50-over World Cup final - 253-5 by Australia against England at Calcutta on 8-11-1987.
• the previous highest total made in a World Cup final - 291-8 (in 60 overs) by West Indies against Australia on 21-6-1975.
• the previous highest total at this venue  - 310-8 by Australia against Pakistan on 11-2-2003.
• its previous highest in a 50-over World Cup match - 319-5 against Sri Lanka at Centurion on 7-3-2003.
• its previous highest in a World Cup match against India - 320-9 (in 60 overs) at Nottingham on 13-6-1983
• its previous highest in a World Cup match - 328-5 (in 60 overs) against Sri Lanka at the Oval on 11-6-1975.
• the highest ever total made by any team against India in the World Cup - 334-4 (60 overs) by England at Lord's on 7-6-1975.
• its previous highest ever total against India - 338-4 at Visakhapatnam on 3-4-2001
• its previous highest ever total in LOIs - 349-6 made against New Zealand at Christchurch on 26-2-2000.
• the highest ever total made by any team against India - 349-9 by New Zealand at Rajkot on 5-11-1999.
• the previous highest total on South African soil  - 354-3 by South Africa against Kenya at Cape Town on 22-10-2001.

• It was the eighth highest total ever made in LOIs and the fourth highest ever made in the World Cup.

• Javagal Srinath (10-0-87-0) has now conceded the maximum runs by an Indian bowler in a LOI match. Previously, Thiru Kumaran had figures of 10-0-86-0 against Pakistan at Dhaka on 3-6-2000.

• Virender Sehwag (when on 3) became the 14th Indian batsman and the 106th in LOIs to aggregate 2000 runs. Playing in his 68th match he now has 2079 runs.

• Brett Lee's 22 wickets (in 10 matches) in this World Cup, makes him the Australian bowler with most wickets in a single World Cup. He goes past the tally of 21 wickets by teammate Glenn McGrath (in 2003) and before that of Shane Warne's 20 wickets during the 1999 World Cup. Only Sri Lankan Chamida Vaas with 23 wickets (in 10 matches) in this World Cup has more wickets than Lee in a single World Cup tournament.

• Australia became the first team to win three World Cup tournaments (1987, 1999 and 2003). West Indies have won two - in 1975 & 1979.