India v Pakistan Best Moments ODI cricket
India v Pakistan Highlights ODI cricket
As the count down to the biggest game so far in the Cricket World Cup begins, I look at some of the best moments and highlights between India and Pakistan in ODI cricket over the years. This is a rivalry that spans more than just 22 yards and the raw passion and emotion of both sets of players and their fans has lead to some incredible sporting theatre in recent times.
I've listed what I think are the top 10 moments from across the years in chronological order. Let me know which ones are your favourite?
1.Miandad hits a 6 off the last ball to win the 1986 Asia Cup
India had controlled proceedings for much of this final with their top 3 of Srikkanth, Gavaskar and Vengsarkar all making contributions towards a total of 245. In reply Pakistan were struggling at 61-3 before Javed Miandad scored a brilliant hundred to keep them in the match.
Even then though wickets continued to fall at the other and Miandad required 4 off the final ball to win. Chetan Sharma did what any good bowler would do in that situation and attempted to bowl a yorker but only succeeded in bowling a low full toss that Miandad helped over midwicket for 6. It was Pakistan's first major trophy and they had done it at the expense of their fiercest rivals both on and off the pitch.
2. Aaqib Javed takes a hattrick and returns figures of 7/37 as Pakistan thrash India
It was the final of the Wills trophy in 1991, a match being played in Sharjah. Pakistan scored a more than competitive 262 thanks to Zahid Fazal and Saleem Malik but India made a solid start with Shastri, Sidhu and Manjrekar all getting in.
Enter Aaqid Javed who dismissed Shastri LBW for 15 and then captain Azharuddin and young starlet Tendulkar both 1st ball both LBW. Javed would go onto record the incredible figures of 7/37 and Pakistan would win by 72 runs
3.India win the first World Cup meeting between the 2 countries as Javed Miandad and Kiran More fall out
In 1992, A young Tendulkar top scores for India as they make 216 at the SCG. Pakistan struggle in reply with a dogged knock of 40 from 110 balls from Miandad not enough to get them over the line.
During his time at the crease, Miandad is frustrated by Indian keeper More's appeal for a catch behind and the pair indulge in an ongoing, often farcical battle throughout the remainder of the innings
4.Venkatesh Prasad bowls Aamer Sohail after the batsman tells him to fetch the ball
Relationships on the field between the 2 teams hadn't improved much by the time we reached the next World Cup. The rivals met in the QF where India made an excellent 287. However, Pakistan started well with captain Aamer Sohail & Saaed Anwar putting on 84 in 10 overs.
When Sohail slashed yet another boundary off local boy Prasad's bowling he pointed to the spot where the ball was resting against the rope and told the bowler to "Go fetch that". Next ball and in a moment of poetic justice, a pumped up Prasad knocked Sohail's off-stump out of the ground to send the Bangalore crowd wild and prove that he who laughs last laughs longest. India went on to win the match by 39 runs.
5. Saaed Anwar hits a world record 194
It is fair to say that Saeed Anwar would be a man who'd be very at home in modern day cricket in all its forms. The elegant left-hander was capable of scoring big and scoring fast but in 1997 during the Pepsi Independence Cup game against India he took that scoring and ODI cricket at the time to another level.
His 194 came from 146 balls containing 22 boundaries and 5 maximums. His effort comprised nearly 60% of the teams runs that day as Pakistan amassed 327 in their 50 overs. Rahul Dravid hit a hundred in response but India fell 35 runs short.
6.Sourav Ganguly is pelted by rocks but stands tall to deliver a thrilling win
Later that same year and India were in Pakistan. The game was set against the backdrop of further political and military unrest between the 2 regional powers and a small minority of the Karachi crowd decided to take matters into their own hands by throwing rocks at the Indian players fielding on the boundary.
After Sourav Ganguly became the latest player to be assaulted in this manner, Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar ordered his players from the pitch. They ultimately agreed to come back out again but it was decided that the Pakistan innings would finish there after 47 overs. Ganguly opened the batting and hit a brilliant 89 from 96 balls to lay the foundations for India to win by 4 wickets with just 3 balls remaining.
7.Mohammed Kaif takes a spectacular catch to cap a wonderful game of cricket
Batting first India hit a mighty 349 with Rahul Dravid making 99 and Virender Sehwag hitting a typically swashbuckling 79 from 57 balls at the top of the order. In response, Inzamam Ul-Haq scored a brilliant 122 from just 102 deliveries to put Pakistan in with a great chance of pulling off a dramatic run chase.
However, India finished the stronger and stifled the Pakistani scoring in no small part to an excellent and very brave catch by Mohammed Kaif who risked serious injury as he and Rahul Dravid nearly clashed as they went for the same ball
8.Harbhajan Singh clashes with Shoaib Akhtar in a thrilling finish at the 2010 Asia Cup
By this point, relationships off the field and growing security concerns mean that matchups are restricted to tournaments at neutral venues. Pakistan made 267 runs batting first and India looked to have that total under control while Gambhir and Dhoni were at the crease.
However, when the aforementioned batsmen were dismissed, India began to slip towards defeat with a pumped-up Pakistani bowling line-up led by Shoaib Akhtar getting into several verbal spats with the Indian team. Shoaib decided to save most of his anger for Harbhajan who responded by hitting 2 almighty 6s including one off the penultimate delivery of the game to seal victory for India by 3 wickets.
9.Boom Boom goes Bang Bang in 2014 Asia Cup
4 years later and Pakistan got their chance for revenge. India batted first and made 245 in their innings. Pakistan's chase started well with the top 3 all making contributions but a flurry of wickets halted their progress and left Pakistan needing 10 from the final over for victory.
Things were made harder when Saeed Ajmal was bowled from the first delivery of that over leaving Afridi stranded at the non-striker's end. New batsman and number 11 Junaid Khan managed to sneak a single leaving Afridi needing 9 runs from 4 balls. India took the interesting ploy of bowling off-spinner Ravi Ashwin in the final over and his first delivery to Afridi was a little wide, tempting the right-hander into a wild swing which despite being poorly timed sailed over the fielder on the extra-cover boundary. The equation was now a much simpler 3 from 3 but Afridi wasn't about to knock them off in singles as another mistimed hoik sailed over long-on to hand Pakistan a memorable win.
10.The prodigal son returns as Amir rips through India's top order to seal 2017 Champions Trophy
Most bowlers dream of bowling just 1 perfect ball to a batsman of Virat Kohli's class in their career but Mohammed Amir managed to do it twice and not only that, he managed to do it within the space of consecutive deliveries.
It was brilliant bowling from a man still making his way back into world cricket following a spot-fixing ban and at the time that Pakistan dropped the initial chance I thought that was that and Kohli would make them pay. Even I was cheering when Amir got Kohli caught at backward point very next ball. India's innings crumbled from there to hand Pakistan the Champions Trophy.
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