When one talks about rivalry in cricket, the India vs Pakistan contests come on top. After all, it’s perhaps the greatest rivalry in the gentleman’s game.
Since both countries share a history, the matches played between them always come with a lot of intensity and pressure. And that has given us some closely fought games.
This article will take you through the five greatest India vs Pakistan ODI matches.
1986 Austral-Asia Cup Final, Sharjah
We will start straight with a cliffhanger from 1986. It was the final of the Austral-Asia Cup played in Sharjah.
India and Pakistan made it to the summit clash after winning their group stage and semi-final encounters. Pakistan opted to bowl first, but the decision seemed to go against them as India’s top order roared hard.
The trio of Kris Srikkanth (75), Sunil Gavaskar (92), and Dilip Vengsarkar (50) scored the bulk of the runs, taking India to 245. In response, Pakistan had a poor start.
Pakistan were 39 for 2 when Javed Miandad walked in. He kept his side in the contest despite wickets falling on the other end.
The match went down to the wire, with Pakistan needing four runs on the last ball. Miandad, who was batting on 110, sent down a low full toss from Chetan Sharma over the ropes to clinch the match with a wicket to spare.
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1987 Third ODI, Hyderabad
Next year, India hosted Pakistan for six ODI matches. The visitors won the first two matches in February, while the series resumed in March with the third game.
Hyderabad hosted the game, with India looking for a win. The game had to be shortened to 44 overs a side due to rain, and India managed 212/6 in the first innings.
Pakistan’s top order responded well but lost wickets at crucial points to bring down the equation to two runs required off the last ball. Abdul Qadir, one of Pakistan’s greatest spinners, was on the crease for the final delivery.
After hitting the ball, Qadir, along with Manzoor Elahi, took the first run, with the winning run almost impossible. But Qadir still went for it, getting run out in the process.
That left both team’s scores level. But since India lost a wicket less than Pakistan, they won the game.
1996 World Cup Quarter-Final, Bengaluru
India hold an undisputed lead over Pakistan when it comes to the ODI World Cup. And the quarter-final clash between them in the 1996 edition is a memorable one.
First, Ajay Jadeja went all guns blazing with the bat before we had a face-off between Aamer Sohail and Venkatesh Prasad. India put up 287 runs on the board, with everyone from the top order chipping in crucial runs.
Navjot Singh Sidhu was the top scorer with 93 runs. But it was Jadeja’s electrifying 45 off 25 that turned out to be the point of difference.
In response, Pakistan’s openers provided a fiery start. The opening duo of Sohail and Saeed Anwar put up 84 runs in 10 overs.
But then Javagal Srinath drew the first blood by dismissing Anwar before things spiced up between Sohail and Prasad. On the fourth delivery of the 15th over, Prasad bowled a bouncer, which Sohail couldn’t hook away.
Then Sohail smashed the next ball for four before Prasad had the last laugh, clean-bowling the Pakistani opener. From then on, the match turned in India’s favour as they restricted Pakistan to 248 for 9.
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1998 Independence Cup Third Final, Dhaka
Dhaka witnessed a high-scoring thriller between India and Pakistan in 1998. Both teams reached the finals of the Independence Cup, with Bangladesh being the other participant.
Back then, the best of three finals decided the winner. And the tournament went into the third final, with India and Pakistan winning one match each.
With everything at stake, both teams brought out their best. Batting first, Pakistan wheeled away to 314, riding on the back of Saeed Anwar’s 140 and Ijaz Ahmed’s 117.
It was going to be a tough chase, but India’s top three did the bulk of the lifting. First, Sourav Ganguly (124) and Sachin Tendulkar (41) put up a 71-run opening stand. Then Ganguly stitched a 179-run partnership with Robin Singh (82), taking India closer to the target.
But there came a twist. India lost six wickets within a span of 56 runs. The match seemed to be going out of India’s hand as Pakistan reduced them to 306 for 7.
India still needed nine runs off one over. Then Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Javagal Srinath held their nerves and took the team over the ropes with a ball to spare.
2014 Asia Cup Sixth Match, Dhaka
Dhaka witnessed yet another tense contest between the two Asian rivals. This time, Pakistan flourished in a tight chase.
Both teams met in a group stage match of the 2014 Asia Cup. After being put in to bat first, India mustered 245 runs on the board.
Pakistan were off to a good start, with the opening putting up 71 runs in 11 overs. Then their run chase slowed down as they lost four wickets in 42 runs.
With the score being 113 for 4, Mohammad Hafeez brought Pakistan back into the game. He built a resilient knock of 75 runs before Shahid Afridi finished off in style with back-to-back sixes.
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