India and Pakistan, the arch-rivals, are all set for an epic showdown in the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup. They will go up against each other in Match 12 of the tournament on Saturday, October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. As the world gears up for the highly-awaited clash, it is time to reflect upon the rich history of their past encounters in the ICC ODI World Cups.
The contests between India and Pakistan, two giants in world cricket, have always been exciting with high pressure on the players. However, India has dominated the rivalry in ODI World Cups, winning all seven matches played against the neighbours so far. In this article, we will take a nostalgic journey through three memorable India-Pakistan ODI World Cup battles.
Three memorable India vs Pakistan encounters in the ICC ODI World Cup
#1992 ICC ODI World Cup – Sydney, Australia
Team India faced Pakistan in the group stages of the ICC ODI World Cup 1992 on March 1 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Australia. This was the first time India faced Pakistan in an ODI World Cup match. Batting first, India put on 216 runs on the board. Sachin Tendulkar top-scored in the innings with 54 runs off 62 deliveries. In response, Pakistan lost two quick wickets. However, Amir Sohail and Javed Miandad’s partnership kept them in the game.
It was the Golden arm of Sachin Tendulkar who again came to India’s rescue. He broke the Sohail-Miandad partnership, dismissing Sohail for 62 runs. Miandad kept battling from the other end, however, a strong bowling performance took India home. Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar and Javagal Srinath took two wickets each respectively. Meanwhile, Sachin and Venkatapathy Raju chipped in too with a wicket each. The match also witnessed the famous Javed Miandad’s mimicry of Kiran More.
#1996 ICC ODI World Cup – M. Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru
The iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru hosted the 1996 ICC ODI World Cup match between India and Pakistan. It was the quarter-final game, making it a do-or-die match for both teams. Wasim Akram missed the match due to an injury. In his absence, Pakistan conceded 287 runs in the first innings. Navjot Singh Sidhu slammed 93 runs off 115 deliveries, while Ajay Jadeja played a fine hand of 45 runs. Jadeja’s onslaught against Waqar Younis lit up the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
In response, Amir Sohail and Saeed Anwar got Pakistan off to a great start. They put on an 84-run opening stand. The match took a turn when Venkatesh Prasad produced one of the most memorable dismissals in the India-Pakistan rivalry. He rattled Amir Sohail’s middle stump and gave him a ferocious send-off. Before the dismissal, Sohail had taunted Prasad after smashing a boundary of his bowling. Pakistan fell 39 runs short of the target, despite some resistance from Saleem Malik and Javed Miandad. India was through to the semi-finals with both Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble taking three wickets each in the innings.
#IndiaVsPakistan 1996 world cup . Venkatesh Prasad teaches Amir Sohail a lesson. pic.twitter.com/xsJD9v8aRH
— Arjun Menon K (@toarjunmenonk) June 15, 2019
#2011 Cricket World Cup – Mohali, India
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup encounter between India and Pakistan would definitely rank at the top of the list for every cricket fan. The stakes were high for the match as it was a semi-final at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. It was also Sachin Tendulkar’s last World Cup. Batting first, the legendary cricketer got two lucky chances. He was dropped on four runs and also survived an lbw appeal. Sachin went on to slam 85 runs in the match. It was MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina’s valuable contributions that took India to 260 runs. Wahab Riaz also had a memorable outing as he took a five-wicket haul in the match.
In reply, Pakistan batters had a small partnership and were in the hunt. However, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Misbah-ul-Haq kept one end solid scoring 56 runs. However, his effort wasn’t enough as Pakistan got all out for 231 runs. The Indian bowling attack featuring Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Yuvraj Singh, Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh took two wickets each in the innings.
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