India vs Pakistan has legendary status in international cricket thanks to memorable matches, heroic individual performances and the geo-political situation between the neighbours.
In 2023, excitement is at its peak, given that the arch rivals and neighbours are playing only their 10th ODI against each other in a decade, in a World Cup to boot. In comparison, in the same period both countries have faced Australia and England more than twice as many times.
But is this match-up in a 50-over-World Cup worth the hype? History would answer with a resounding ‘no’ as Indian sides have hardly broken a sweat in defeating their arch rivals in seven games from 1992-2019. . To put that into perspective, India have lost to Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in World Cup games (1999 and 2007 respectively) during the same period.
Pakistan’s unflattering record
The hallmark of six of these seven games has been how India’s limited bowling resources rallied to defend totals, sometimes average ones, against a strong Pakistan batting line-up.
Defending a stiff target of 273, Pakistan were charged up. Shoaib Akhtar was steaming in, but Sachin Tendulkar was in a different zone altogether, smashing boundaries at will. At one point in his innings, Akhtar’s short ball outside off was fiercely cut over backward point for a six, a shot that still brings out a collective gasp among cricket lovers. Akhtar finished with figures of 1/72 in 10 overs.
Sample this: Sachin Tendulkar was India’s fifth bowler in 1992 and bowled 10 overs. In 1996, Sachin and Ajay Jadeja bowled the fifth bowler’s quota of 10 overs for a tidy 44. In the 2003 edition, it was Sourav Ganguly, Dinesh Mongia and Virendra Sehwag who did that job, though India bowled first.
It is Pakistan’s batting that has failed to rise up to the occasion in all games except the one in the 2003 in South Africa’s Centurion, where Sachin Tendulkar’s 75-ball-98 took the game away in a 274-run chase.
Despite heavyweights like Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad, Imran Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Anwar and Aamer Sohail, Pakistan choked during chases. This has mainly been due to a lack of intent by the majority of batsmen against a rearguard bowling Indian bowling attack.
Chasing 300 in Adelaide in 2015, none of the Pakistani batsmen had a strike rate above 100. The story repeated in Manchester in 2019. Chasing 302 in 40 overs in a rain-affected game, none of the Pakistan top order batsmen had a strike rate above 100.
Who can forget Javed Miandad’s painfully slow 38(64) in Bengaluru (1996) in a chase of 288 in 49 overs, which virtually snuffed out Pakistan’s chances after a crowd-silencing start of 84 in 10 overs by Sohail and Anwar.
India’s top order delivers in every game
With scores of 54*, 31, 45, 98 and 85, Sachin Tendulkar made every world cup appearance against Pakistan count. It was always India’s top order which broke the spirit of Pakistan’s bowling legends like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar.
If it was Navjot Sidhu’s Man-of-the-Match winning 93 in Bengaluru in 1996, it was Rohit Sharma’s 140 in Manchester in 2019 and Virat Kohli’s 107 in Adelaide in 2015 which laid the foundation of India’s wins. Even then-opener Ajay Jadeja’s 44 in Sydney in 1992 and Rahul Dravid’s 61 in Manchester in 1999 were crucial knocks at the top.
The unforgettable events
Controversy always lurks around the corner during India-Pakistan World Cup games. Here are some that stand the test of time:
1) The Aamer Sohail-Venkatesh Prasad ‘fight’, Bengaluru, 1996
After Ajay Jadeja’s death-overs carnage had the Bengaluru crowd reaching for their water bottles, they were stunned into silence by Pakistan openers Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar’s blistering start. At one point, Sohail, who scored a 55, was dominating Prasad and gestured at him with the bat. The usually sedate Prasad ran in to castle Sohail and then gave him a fiery send-off. The moment is hugely popular on Youtube even today.
2) Sachin Tendulkar takes on Shoaib Akhtar, Centurion, 2003
Defending a stiff target of 274, Pakistan were charged up. Shoaib Akhtar was steaming in, but Sachin Tendulkar was in a different zone altogether, smashing boundaries at will. At one point in his innings, Akhtar’s short ball outside off was fiercely cut over backward point for a six, a shot that still brings out a collective gasp among cricket lovers. Akhtar finished with figures of 1/72 in 10 overs.
3) Ajmal gets Sachin LBW, but DRS overturns decision, Mohali, 2011
It was a historic semi-final game, played in a ground that is less than 250km from the border separating both countries. Sachin Tendulkar, the eventual Man of the Match, was on 23 when a delivery from Pakistan’s controversial, yet, successful off-spinner Saeed Ajmal struck his pads. Umpire Ian Gould raised the finger. But replays, during the Decision Review System (DRS) invoked by Sachin, showed the ball to be missing leg stump. The decision was overturned and the rest is history. Ajmal continues to court controversy over that decision.
4) Pakistan Captain Wasim Akram skips Quarter-final: 1996, Bengaluru
When it was time for the toss, Mohammed Azharuddin walked out with Aamer Sohail, instead of the great Akram. The loss later that night infuriated Pakistan fans and set tongues wagging about the ‘F’ word. Years later, an angry Akram continues to clarify about it, reminding fans about an injury he sustained in the previous game against New Zealand, where he did not even bowl.
Honorable mentions
1) Wahab Riaz, Venkatesh Prasad and Sohail Khan: These three pacers picked up brilliant five wicket hauls to prop up their sides in 2011, 1999 and 2015 respectively. Only Prasad’s effort was a match-winning one
2) Suresh Raina’s lower order heroics: India managed just 260 in their 50 overs in Mohali, 2011. It would have been lesser, given that MS Dhoni got out when the score was 205/6 in 41.4 overs. Suresh Raina’s unbeaten 36 ensured that India batted out their 50 overs, eventually winning by just 29 runs. In 2015, he did something similar, but bigger. His 74(56) gave the required nitro boost to an Indian innings taking them to 300.
3) ‘Irritated’ by Kiran More, Javed Miandad does the kangaroo jump: Watch this one, no description can do justice