All-time biggest cricket rivals in this planet are no doubt
India and Pakistan. Even ICC recognises India vs Pakistan game as most revenue
generating event in cricket. Australia and England are also two famous cricket
rivals but first two cricket nations are incomparable because of a long history
of the same neighbors. Lets recall some moments between these two powerful cricket
nations, the moment those are still red hot in the minds of the respective
fans.
Anil Kumble’s 10:
The Feroz Shah Kotla was lucky enough to witness such a rare
feat, the feat being Kumble’s perfect 10 wickets in a single innings. India was
playing Pakistan in a test match in Delhi. The date, Feb 8th 1999.
Pakistan were set a target to win during their second innings and they about
their chase in a good manner until India’s premier leg spinner at the time,
Anil Kumble, was introduced into the attack. The Pakistani batsmen looked to
bat little cautiously against the witty leg spinner, but it all came down to
nothing in the end. Kumble amazingly bundled up the entire Pakistani batting
line-up single handedly to secure for India a convincing victory. 10-74 were
Kumble’s figures in that innings, and one doesn’t get to see such sensational
bowling spells all that often.
Miandad’s last ball
six:
Once again it’s Sharjah where India and Pakistan clashed.
The year was 1986, when the Australasia Cup used to be played. India and
Pakistan were contesting the Australasia Cup final and not surprisingly, this
one went right down to the wire. Pakistan needed 4 to win off 1 ball. The
batsman on strike was Javed Miandad and the bowlers was Chetan Sharma. Sharma
had recently claimed a hat-trick in the World Cup and was seen as a hero
amongst the Indian contingent. That last ball was all about handling the
pressure of such an intense finish to such an intense match-up. Miandad came
out glorious in that little battle within a larger battle as he smashed
Sharma’s low full toss for SIX to give Pakistan a cliffhanger victory!
First Series win over
Pakistan soil:
India’s 2004 tour to Pakistan was a huge success, with both
Test and one-day series victories. For the first time ever India won a series
in Pakistan. India won the Test series 2-1 and ODI series 3-2 on Pakistani
soil. The Indian cricket team went for a complete tour to Pakistan after a long
gap of 15 years in 2004, and hence, the tour was considered as historical even
before it started. And it ended in India`s First Test Series Win in Pakistan
with the powerful performance of the complete Indian team; specially
Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and the strong emergences of
Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipathy Balaji. First series win in
Pakistan, given the high integrity and respect that this rivalry holds, is
indeed one of the many spectacular Indo-Pak moments.
Match in an empty
stadium:
The first test match of the Asian Test Championship
played at Eden Gardens, Calcutta from 16–20 February 1999 is arguably the most
controversial test encounter the two nations have ever played. The match was
and has remained the best-attended cricket match in history with total
attendance of around 465,000 people. The game is particularly remembered due to
the extraordinary performances by Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar for 4/71 and 4/47,
Saeed Anwar for 188 not out for batting throughout the second innings.
Controversy ensued when Tendulkar was run out in the second innings to which
the Indian crowd reacted angrily to. It resulted in them causing a riot and the
police and officials having to remove most of the crowd and the remainder of
the test having to be watched with the stadium near empty, Pakistan eventually
won the test by 46 runs.
Miandad Mocks Kiran
More:
Not a lot to say about this memorable incident that took place
in an India Pakistan game in the World Cup of 1992, but it sure was
unforgettable. A sledging incident involving Javed Miandad and Kiran More where
Miandad famously imitated More during a match by jumping up and down on the
pitch. A scene questionable, but equally hilarious. Fans from both sides, will
never forget what happened that day.
Miracle with India –
T20 2007
The inaugural T20 World Cup held in South Africa was
absolutely thrilling. First of its kind, it lived up to the expectations of
every cricket fanatic. However, such a brilliant concept that raised eye-brows
through its success deserved that final icing on the cake. And so it was, as
the final of the inaugural WT20 was to be contested between India and Pakistan!
Oh the delight, the mouth-watering prospect that awaited millions, and
mouth-watering it was. It all came down to the final over, when Pakistan needed
13 in 6 balls to take the title. Having lost too many wickets, the onus was on
the shoulders of the ever so composed Misbah-ul-haq to see Pakistan over the
line. India skipper MS Dhoni took a huge gamble at that time, throwing the ball
to the inexperienced Joginder Sharma to bowl the final over. Eye-brows were
raised almost instantly. Misbah was on strike for the first ball of the over
and Sharma bowled a wide. Yes, the pressure was telling, and those eye-brows
got bigger. What followed was a dot ball, and then the next ball was hurled
into the stands by Misbah-ul-haq. 6 from 4 were what Pakistan needed, one
wicket in hand. The atmosphere around the ground was a mix of nervousness and
anticipation as Joginder ran in to ball again. Misbah shuffled, and tried to
lob the ball over fine-leg that was inside the circle. Instead, the ball
floated up! Time stood still, as nervous eyes watched. Suddenly, in a split
second, everybody knew what was happening. The ball wasn’t timed well, and was
on its way down fine-leg’s throat. ‘Catch it SREE!’ were the cries of all the
Indian spectators, and boy did he catch it. India won that dramatic final, and
was crowned T20 champions. It was the dramatic final that the tournament
needed, and no surprises for it being an India-Pakistan final.
