It’s that time in four years. India vs Pakistan. World Cup. The mother of all battles. The greatest rivalry. Every adjective, adage, and gimmicks, including the famous ‘Mauka-Mauka’ ad will fall short to sum up the hype when these two Asian heavyweights collide on Saturday at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
Over the last four decades dating back to the early 1980s, India and Pakistan have shared a storied rivalry that has only intensified with time. But when it’s the World Cup, an extra layer of spice gets added to India-Pakistan fixtures. And the reason is India’s undefeated streak.
Heading into this high-octane clash between India and Pakistan, fans will be wondering if Babar’s side will be able to change their rather one-sided head-to-head ratio. Both sides have faced each other seven times in ODI World Cup history, with India boasting a 100 percent win record. Beginning 1992, India have dominated Pakistan in 50-over World Cups, and while there have been several memorable moments, there has been only one winner. Ahead of the weekend blockbuster, we are here to refresh your memory, take you down memory lane and relive each of India’s seven victories over Pakistan on the grandest stage of them all.
1992: India win by 43 runs in Sydney
As surprising as it may sound, India and Pakistan did not cross paths in the first four editions of the World Cup. The first chapter of their rivalry was written in coloured clothing and under floodlights as India met Pakistan at the hallowed Sydney Cricket Ground. Batting first, a young Sachin Tendulkar’s 54 off 62 balls playing his first-ever World Cup, saw India reach 216/7 in 49 overs. Mushtaq Ahmed took three wickets for Pakistan and Aaqib Javed struck twice. Defending 217 runs, fans saw the Indian bowling department work as a unit, skittling Pakistan for 173 in 48.1 overs. Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar and Javagal Srinath took two wickets each respectively, while Sachin and Venkatapathy Raju chipped in too. Amer Sohail got a half-century, registering 62 off 95 balls, and the mighty Javed Miandad tried but was removed for 40, but it wasn’t before he gave the World Cup a moment for the ages by losing his cool at Kiran More’s constant chirping.
1996: India win by 39 runs in Bengaluru
The absence of Wasim Akram due to injury emerged one of the biggest talking points in the match that was a do-or-die for both teams as India faced Pakistan in a knockout for the first time – the quarterfinal of the Wills World Cup in 1996. A bullish 93 off 115 balls by Navjot Sidhu gave India the perfect start before Ajay Jadeja’s brutal onslaught against Waqar Younis earned itself a special place in the IND-PAK rivalry. Jadeja’s death overs flourish took India to 287/8 in 50 overs, with Waqar and Mushtaq Ahmed grabbing two wickets each.
In reply, Pakistan blazed away to 84/0 in 10 overs with Saeed Anwar and Sohail giving their team a cracking start. The turning point unfolded in the next over when after being taunted by Sohail, Venkatesh Prasad produced a World Cup moment that will remain immortal forever as he ripped the Pakistan opener’s middle stump and capped it off with a ferocious send-off. The middle order resisted with Saleem Malik and Miandad both getting starts but Prasad and Anil Kumble were just too good on their home soil of Bangalore. Miandad’s final World Cup match ended in disappointment as Pakistan were eliminated, allowing India a passage to the semifinal.
1999: India win by 47 runs in Manchester
This India vs Pakistan contest was more emotional and intense than any other. The World Cup had gotten underway around the same time as the Kargil war between India and Pakistan but both teams did well to ensure the rivalry did not spill onto the ground at the historic Old Trafford in Manchester. India took their lead to 3-0 on the back of some fine batting and Prasad’s epic five-wicket-haul. Tendulkar got India off the blocks with a quickfire 45 before Rahul Dravid and captain Mohammad Azharuddin built on it with a fifty each, just about enough to get India to 227/5. Anwar was once again ruthless in giving India an early scare, racing away to 36, but once Prasad sent him back, everything went downhill. Prasad’s five-for, along with Javagal Srinath blew the middle order away to bowl Pakistan out for 180 with 27 balls remaining.
2003: India win by six wickets in Centurion
This one is considered the greatest India vs Pakistan World Cup match of all time. With political tensions restraining bilateral ties between the two nations, India and Pakistan met in Centurion at the 2003 World Cup where sparks flew. How many times is a hundred overshadowed by a 90? Well, this surely was rare as Tendulkar played, quite possibly, the best World Cup knock of his career. His 98 not only overshadowed Anwar’s century, but gave India just the tempo they needed in chase of 273. Tendulkar went berserk, unleashing an array of dazzling strokes on the Pakistan pace trio of Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib Akhtar. He eventually missed his century by two runs following bouts of cramps but had set the stage for Dravid and Yuvraj Singh to take India’s scoreline to 4-0.
2011: India win by 29 runs in Mohali
After missing out in 2007, the famous rivalry was back, and the stakes were higher than ever. A World Cup semifinal in India, which more than lived up to its hype. Once again, like eight years ago, Tendulkar top-scored for India, but this innings was a stark contrast to the one that unravelled eight years ago. Sachin was dropped four times, survived an infamous LBW appeal and scratched and clawed to 85 before his luck finally ran out. Wahab Riaz’s five-wicket-haul saw him dismiss Virat Kohli, Yuvraj, MS Dhoni and it was Suresh Raina’s unbeaten 36 that propelled India to 260/6. In reply, all five Indian bowlers picked up two wickets each but it was Yuvraj’s twin strike to dismiss Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan and a dream delivery from Munaf Patel to rattle Abdul Razzaq’s stumps that changed the complexion of Pakistan’s chase. In the end, Misbah-ul-Haq was left with a lot to get, and even though flashbacks of Johannesburg 2007 flocked the minds, India wrapped up the game in the last over and advanced into the final.
2015: India win by 76 runs in Adelaide
For the first time ever, India began their World Cup campaign against Pakistan in the 2015 edition at Adelaide. Batting first, Virat Kohli clattered his second World Cup century, and coupled with fifties from Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina allowed India to reach 300 for the loss of 7 wickets, five of them belonging to Sohail Khan. Pakistan were expected to give India a stiff fight but the outcome was anything but it as Mohammed Shami’s four wickets triggered a poor Pakistan reply. Barring Misbah’s fifty, no other batter stepped up, with two even registering ducks in the middle order. In one of the most lop-sided contests, India soared to a 5-0 World Cup lead over their neighbours.
2019: India win by 89 runs (DLS method) in Manchester
20 years removed from the 1999 World Cup, India and Pakistan once again came face-to-face at the very same ground. At the 2019 World Cup, Virat Kohli was India’s captain and MS Dhoni hadn’t retired yet, but it was Rohit Sharma, who stole the show with his second of five centuries in that tournament. Supported brilliantly by a stroke-filled 77 from Kohli, India posted their highest-ever World Cup total against Pakistan – 336/5. Due to rain the contest was reduced to 40 overs, with Pakistan required to chase 300, but the wheels came off quicker than expected. Vijay Shankar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Hardik Pandya took two wickets each, while for Pakistan only Fakhar Zaman (62) raised a half-century. 212/6 is all Pakistan could muster. As the Pakistan journalists in the press box wondered if the jinx will ever end, India celebrated an emphatic 7-0 lead.
