Cric Wc. Mtch 4.. Ind Vs Pak. Its 6-0. Ind 300/7.. Pak 224... Ind Wins

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The rivalry

 

The concept of limited-overs cricket caught the imagination of players on either side of the Radcliffe line very quickly after they faced off in the 50-over format for the first time in 1978. 

 

As a team, Pakistan has had the upper hand against India, having won 72 of the 126 One-Day Internationals so far, but on the other hand, India has a perfect 5-0 record against its rival on the biggest stage of all – in ICC Cricket World Cup matches. India has won against Pakistan in 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2011 – the last in a pulsating semi-final encounter.

 

The memorable duels the contests have produced overall have been equally fascinating. Javed Miandad’s last-ball six off Chetan Sharma, India’s successful defence of 125, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan’s ploy to get Miandad stumped and Saleem Malik’s unbeaten 36-ball 72 in a two-wicket win from the 1980s, the mastery of Sachin Tendulkar, Saeed Anwar, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in the 1990s and sparks of brilliance from Virat Kohli and Shahid Afridi in the 2000s dot the recent India-Pakistan landscape.

 

 

 

[Maximus]

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Match 1: India v Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in ICC World Cup 1992 

 

 

 

 

 

A young Sachin Tendulkar, with Test centuries in England and Australia already, played his first decisive knock in ODIs, as India opened its World Cup account against Pakistan with a 43-run win. Tendulkar’s unbeaten 54 and a sixth-wicket stand of 60 runs with Kapil Dev, after India had been reduced to 148 for 5 at one stage, took the side to 216 for 7, even though Mushtaq Ahmed finished with three sticks. 

 

 

Looking for a much-needed victory, Pakistan, the eventual champion, lost two quick wickets in its chase before Aamir Sohail and Miandad added 88 runs to steady the ship. Miandad spent 34 overs at the crease, but was tied down by good bowling. With the required run-rate creeping up, wickets fell frequently and Pakistan was bowled out for 173 in 48.1 overs. 

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Match 2: India v Pakistan at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in ICC World Cup 1996 

 

 

 

 

Wasim Akram dropped out on the morning of the quarter-final match because of a side strain and Aamir Sohail, the stand-in captain, lost the toss, as India made first use of a placid track in Bangalore to set the base for a 39-run win. Navjot Singh Sidhu (93) and Sachin Tendulkar put on 90 runs for the first wicket, before Pakistan pulled things back with regular strikes. But Ajay Jadeja’s 25-ball 45, including an onslaught on Waqar Younis in the final overs, took India to a formidable 287 for 8. 

 

 

 

The opening pair of Sohail and Saeed Anwar got Pakistan off to a blazing start through an association of 84 runs, but after that India made key breakthroughs, with the slower bowlers drying up the run flow. Venkatesh Prasad accounted for three of the top four batsmen, and Anil Kumble contributed with three wickets of his own. Javed Miandad was run out in what proved to be his final international appearance, as Pakistan’s innings ended at 248 for 9.

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Match 3: India v Pakistan at the Old Trafford in Manchester in ICC World Cup 1999

 

 

Venkatesh Prasad produced his career-best bowling performance to help India beat Pakistan by 47 runs in front of 21,953 fans at the Old Trafford in Manchester. Rahul Dravid, who had closely followed the previous India-Pakistan World Cup game held in his hometown, made 61 – the highest individual score in the game. Mohammad Azharuddin chipped in with a vital 59 as India put up 227 for 6 after winning the toss on a track that had something for the bowlers. 

 

 

Pakistan never got going in its chase in this Super Six encounter as the Bangalore trio of Javagal Srinath, Prasad and Anil Kumble picked up all ten wickets to bowl the opposition out for 180 in 45.3 overs. Aided by the swinging conditions, Prasad accounted for Saeed Anwar, Saleem Malik, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Moin Khan and Wasim Akram to return figures of 5 for 27 in 9.3 overs.

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Match 4: India v Pakistan at the SuperSport Park in Centurion in ICC World Cup 2003

 

 

In the first India-Pakistan match in close to three years, Sachin Tendulkar produced one of the best performances in ODIs, and effectively knocked Pakistan out of the tournament. Tendulkar, who had been preparing for this fixture for over a year, made a 75-ball 98 in a chase of 274 after Saeed Anwar’s 101 had stolen the limelight in the first half of the game. 

 

 

On a flat deck at the SuperSport Park, Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag handled the seam attack of Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akthar, Waqar Younis and Abdul Razzaq with ease. Shots flew to all parts of the ground in the opening wicket stand of 53 in 5.4 overs, with the upper cut six over point by Tendulkar off Akthar the standout shot. 

 

 

In that over, Tendulkar also cut and drove the world’s fastest bowler for two fours, and the impact of his blade was such that Pakistan’s attack – among the most potent units in the world – seemed to lose its bite. After Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly fell for the same score, Tendulkar and Mohammad Kaif added 101 runs for the fourth wicket. Tendulkar was caught at gully off a rising delivery from Akthar with still 97 needed in 22.2 overs, but the fifth-wicket pair of Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh got the job done with relative calm in the 46th over.

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Match 5: India v Pakistan at the PCA Stadium in Mohali in ICC World Cup 2011

 

 

 

In a high-pressure semi-final game in Mohali, watched from the ground by the heads of the state of both nations, a team effort by India saw it triumph by 29 runs. Sachin Tendulkar led the way once again, recording his third World Cup half-century against Pakistan – with all three efforts netting him the Man of the Match award. Tendulkar’s 85 and Suresh Raina’s intelligent batting in the last 10 overs took India to 260 for 9, with Wahab Riaz returning a five-wicket haul.

 

 

Though Mohammad Hafeez made 43 in Pakistan’s chase, he was caught behind playing a sweep shot to a Munaf Patel delivery on the offstump, and that opened the floodgates. Each of the five Indian bowlers picked up two wickets, with Ashish Nehra’s 2 for 33 in 10 overs the best figures, as Pakistan was bowled out for 231 in 49.5 overs.

[yenna_chata]

India is gonna lose today.

[Maximus]

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Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar attack the Pakistan bowlers— 1992 World Cup 

 

 

It was almost as if two generations had come together to help India in their first ever World Cup game against Pakistan. The 1992 World Cup was a forgettable one for India. Pakistan though, turned it around to go on to win it. In this game though, India went home with the bragging rights. India were setting a total and were in a bit of trouble at 148 for five. That is when Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev got together and played some counterattacking cricket. Kapil’s 35 off 26 balls injected life into the Indian innings. Tendulkar stayed through to the end for an unbeaten 54. Their partnership helped take India to a respectable 216 for seven. India then went on to win the game.

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 Javed Miandad mocks Kiran More — 1992 World Cup

 

 

During Pakistan’s run-chase of 217 against India in the 1992 World Cup, Javed Miandad and Aamir Sohail were constructing a solid partnership. However Miandad, had a lapse in concentration when he was annoyed by Indian stumper Kiran More’s appeal. Both the players exchanged words after which they seemed to have gone along with their business. Not Miandad! After being denied a single, Miandad jumped up and down with his bat trying to replicate, or perhaps exaggerate More’s appeal. It was a heated moment, but got a smile on the faces of the fans.

 

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Wasim Akram pulls out of the quarter-final against India — 1996 World Cup

 

 

Wasim Akram was a talismanic player who could win matches on his own. Nearly four years after leading Pakistan to victory at the 1992 World Cup, he was seen as the villain of their defeat against India in the quarter-final. This despite the fact that he did not play.Akram was captaining Pakistan in the tournament and had suffered an injury. In their last league game against New Zealand, he did not bowl. And, he pulled out of the all-important quarter-final against India at Bangalore citing injury. When Pakistan were beaten, Akram bore the brunt of the people’s fury. On return home, he had to face a stormy press conference, where his integrity was questioned. There were other unsubstantiated allegations as well. Perhaps, it was all because Pakistan had lost to their arch-rivals in the quarter-finals.

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Ajay Jadeja lays into Waqar Younis—1996 World Cup

 

 

With his partner-in-crime out of the game, the onus fell on Waqar Younis to lead the bowling attack against India in the quarter-final against India. However, his spell went awry at the death as Ajay Jadeja took him apart. What could have been a 250-260 score, became 287, thanks to Jadeja’s 25-ball 45. The way Jadeja laid into Waqar is etched in memory. One of the best fast bowlers in the world was nonchalantly hit all over the park. When he tried to fire in a yorker, Jadeja went deep in his crease and lofted it over mid-wicket. He pitched it a bit back of a length, he was cut behind point. And, there was one that was swatted down the ground for a six. Waqar’s last two overs cost him a total of 40 runs. Until then, he had bowled eight overs for only 27 runs.

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Venkatesh Prasad cleans up Aamir Sohail— 1996 World Cup

 

 

While Jadeja’s innings was explosive in the real sense, sparks flew during the Pakistan run-chase. Aamir Sohail and Saeed Anwar got off to a rollicking start. Sohail, who had taken over the mantle of captaincy for the game, was in great form. Sohail smashed a four through the covers off Prasad and had a few words with him, pointing in the direction of the area he hit the ball. Having lost his concentration in the heat of the moment, Sohail made room and attempted an ugly hoick over mid-wicket, only to find his off-stump take a cartwheel. Prasad big him good bye with a few words of his own! Bangalore came a live! Until then Pakistan had scored 113 at over seven an over and were cruising. They then kept losing wickets at regular intervals and lost the game by 39 runs.

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Venkatesh Prasad’s five-for —1999 World Cup

 

 

This game was played amidst the rising tensions between the two countries, with the Kargil conflict at its height. Far away in Manchester, India and Pakistan faced off in a Super Six encounter. Pakistan were the in-form team in the tournament, while India were struggling to stay alive. India managed a par score of 227 with Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Azharuddin making fifties. Chasing that shouldn’t have been a problem, but Prasad came back to haunt Pakistan. While Javagal Srinath delivered the first two breakthroughs, Prasad ran through the rest of the side in an inspired spell of fast bowling. His five for 27 helped India win the game by 47 runs.