India v/s Pakistan: The top 5 encounters between the arch nemeses

As we prepare ourselves for the exciting encounter between India and Pakistan on Sunday, 2nd March, here is a list of the top five encounters between India and Pakistan.

1. Australasia Cup Final, Sharjah-1986

India scored 245 for 7 and Pakistan was in deep trouble in the chase, requiring 11 runs to win from the final over and then losing two wickets. The bowler was Chetan Sharma – the first man to take a World Cup hat-trick, in 1987 against New Zealand – and Javed Miandad was facing. With Pakistan needing four runs from the final delivery of the match, Sharma bowled a rank full toss that Miandad smashed for six, earning his team an unlikely victory.

2. India in Pakistan ODI Series, 2nd Match-1997

Pakistan batted first in Karachi and scored 265 runs, but the innings was interrupted four times because of stone throwing from the partisan crowd. The innings was eventually halted in the 47th over after Sourav Ganguly was hit by an object thrown from the stands and Sachin Tendulkar, who was captain at the time, complained to the match referee. India’s reply stuttered after Ganguly was out for 89, but a partnership between Robin Singh and Saba Karim kept India in the match before Rajesh Chauhan came in and hit a six for victory in the final over. It was only India’s third ever ODI triumph on Pakistani soil.

3. Rothmans Four-Nations Cup, Sharjah – 1984

The neutral venue of Sharjah features again, playing host to a match in which India slumped to 125 all-out, with just Mohammad Azharuddin and captain Kapil Dev getting scores of any note – 47 and 30, respectively. With such a paltry total the match looked like a lost cause for India, but some brilliant fielding, particularly from Sunil Gavaskar with a then-world record four catches at slip, sent Pakistan crashing to 87 all out and sealed an unlikely victory for India.

4.World Cup Quarterfinal, Bangalore – 1996

This was a fiery encounter between the two rivals, and the furthest into the World Cup they’d ever met. India batted first and scored 287 as Navjot Sidhu – now a colorful but cliché-prone television pundit – top-scored with 93 runs. The match is most memorable for Ajay Jadeja’s ruthless batting after he smashed 45 runs from 25 balls, and also for the spat between Paksitan’s opening batsman Aamer Sohail and Venkatesh Prasad. Sohail cockily pointed to the spot on the cover boundary where he’d hit Prasad for four runs, but the Indian bowler came back with the perfect retort as he bowled Sohail on the next delivery, uprooting the leg stump. Tensions ran high after the encounter, with one Pakistani fan reportedly shooting his television and then himself.

5.World Cup, Pool A, Centurion –2003

The most recent of the classics, this one is fondly remembered by Indians because of that man Sachin Tendulkar. Despite falling two runs short of his century and struggling with cramp, the Little Master will be remembered as the hero in this match for launching a remarkable six off Shoaib Akhtar over third man and into the stands. It was an incredible shot, particularly as Akhtar was in fine form that tournament, bowling the fastest ball on record – 100.2mph to England’s Nick Knight. Tendulkar’s shot, and others he played throughout his dazzling innings, showed the Rawalpindi Express and his teammates no respect. Pakistan had scored 273, inspired by a century from opener Saeed Anwar, but India reached that target with four overs to spare.

India vs Pakistan has always been an exciting encounter, and we wish for the same when they again clash this sunday.