On 14th October (Saturday), the biggest cricketing rivalry between India and Pakistan is back in action. As the ‘Men in Blue’ will step on the field, they will aim to advance their winning streak against their archrivals in the ODI World Cup. With an impressive 7-0 record in head-to-head matchups against Pakistan in ODI World Cups, the host, India, stands as the clear favourites, having never lost to Pakistan in ODI World Cup.
Notably, the most recent clash in the longer format of White ball cricket took place in Manchester during the 2019 World Cup in England where India pulled off a convincing victory against Pakistan. Now, let’s take a closer look at these historic encounters between both teams, matches that can rival even the most famous sporting rivalries, such as the ‘El Clásico’.
The 1992 Sydney win that marked the beginning of an unbeaten streak against Pakistan
The Indian cricketing side was up against their arch-rivals Pakistan for the first time at an ODI World Cup in the 1992 edition in Sydney. Led by then-skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, India chose to bat first in the game and utilised the pressure of runs on the board.
With the help of gritty innings by Ajay Jadeja (46 runs in 77 balls) and Sachin Tendulkar (unbeaten 54 runs) India set a decent target of 217 runs for the Pakistani side to chase. But during the second half, Indian bowlers went on a rampage, bundling up Pakistan for 173 runs to clinch a 43 runs victory and kick start a winning streak that is continuing to date.
1996 Bangalore encounter: Venkatesh Prasad vs Aamir Sohail
Contrary to present times where camaraderie has overshadowed and fizzled out the on-field passionate rivalry from the Indian side, India-Pakistan World Cup encounters have witnessed to major on-field feuds which had reinvigorated the fans and players alike during the mega clash. One such rivalry unfolded in the 1996 World Cup match played in Bangalore.
After batting first, the Indian side piled up a mammoth total of 287 runs courtesy of a brilliant 90-run partnership between Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sachin Tendulkar which was backed up by Ajay Jadeja’s blistering 45 runs in 25 balls.
Pakistan had a brisk start as Aamer Sohail smashed 55 runs while Saeed Answar added 48 runs. However, afterwards, the fans witnessed one of the finest comebacks in personal tussles as Venkatesh Prasad replied sharply to Aamir Sohail’s gesture with the bat arrogantly showing him the boundary. Letting the ball do the talking, Prasad removed the timber opening the gates of yet another victory for India at the World Cups. With a combined six wickets among Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble, India won the match comfortably by 39 runs.
The 1999 Manchester clash
India completed their winning hatrick in the 1999 clash as Mohammad Azharuddin-led India handed over a drubbing to Pakistan. Thanks to the fifties from Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Azharuddin, India registered a total of 227. However, in the second innings, Venkatesh Prasad again went on a rampage and completed a five-wicket haul to decimate the Pakistani batting line up and sealed India a 47-run victory.
2003 Centurion game in South Africa
Unlike previous encounters, this time it was Pakistan who piled up a big total on the scoreboard. Pakistani opener Saeed Anwar smashed a scintillating century against India to set a high target of 273 runs for the Indian side to chase.
However, the young Indian turks led by new captain Sourav Ganguly again proved to be better side. With Sachin Tendulkar’s pacy innings of 98 runs in only 75 balls and an unbeaten 50 runs from Yuvraj Singh, India won the game by six wickets.
The Home game: 2011 World Cup clash
In 2011, cricketing rivals India and Pakistan were up against each other for the fifth time. This was the first time both sides were competing in a knockout game, the high-octane semi-final. In his last World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar again produced a majestic innings as he scored 85 runs to take India to a total of 259 runs.
In the second innings, all Indian bowlers chipped in and picked two wickets a piece to secure a 29-run victory. The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side later prevailed over Sri Lanka in the final to clinch their second-ever World Cup trophy.
2015 Adelaide Encounter
The defending champion, India, was up against formidable Pakistan in their sixth World Cup clash. In this clash, it was time for the run-machine Virat Kohli to shine as he rose to the occasion and scored a scintillating century. This took the Indian side beyond the 300-run barrier for the first time against Pakistan at a World Cup encounter despite Sohail Khan’s five-wicket haul.
In the second innings, Pakistani batters were no match to the Indian bowling side and Mohammad Shami took four wickets to end Pakistan’s batting at 224 runs to secure another convincing win.
The Seventh World Cup Clash: 2019 Manchester
Manchester again proved to be a happy hunting ground for India as Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma took the game right away from the grip of Pakistan. Rohit with his brilliant century (140 runs in 113 balls) and Virat’s 77, helped India again breach the 300-run mark and pose a total of 336/5 in their 50-over quota.
In the rain-curtailed match, the Pakistani side had no answers to India’s bowling triad of Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav. Together they took six wickets in the second innings and secured an 89-run win for the nation advancing India’s winning streak to 7-0 against their arch-rival Pakistan.
The Indian side would like to repeat its previous performance and take the lead in the World Cups to 8-0 and secure a position in the knockouts.
