Down to the wire

Cricinfo looks back at the ten most memorable ODIs between India and Pakistan

Faras Ghani04-Nov-2007

1st match, Four-nation Cup 1985,
Sharjah

A formidable Indian batting line-up was left in tatters by the pace and
swing of Imran Khan. He dismissed Ravi Shastri leg-before off the first ball
of the match, and had three of his victims caught behind, proof enough
of his unplayable bowling. A target of 126 was always within Pakistan’s
reach, even though they lost their first wicket at 13. However, a double
collapse saw them go from 35 for 1 to 41 for 5 and then from 85 for 6 to 87
all out. Kapil Dev, after scoring a dogged 30, proved Pakistan’s nemesis
with the ball, and captured 3 for 17. Sunil Gavaskar chipped in with four catches, three of them breathtaking.Final, Australasia Cup 1986,
Sharjah

Perhaps the greatest of all ODIs between the two countries, if only because
it is the one that first comes to the mind of fans of either country. It
will forever be remembered for the last ball of the match, with everything
that preceded it – Kris Srikkanth’s aggression, Gavaskar’s 92, late wickets by
Wasim Akram and Imran to restrict India, and even an unbeaten century by
Javed Miandad – all swept aside. Chetan Sharma did manage three wickets in
the match, but his last delivery, off which Pakistan needed four to win
the tournament, was pulled mightily over midwicket and over the boundary by
Miandad to spark wild celebrations after an unlikely last-wicket victory.2nd ODI, Pakistan in India 1987,
Kolkata

A Srikkanth century inspired the home side to a respectable score, and after
Pakistan collapsed to 174 for 6 after a 106-run opening partnership, they
needed to score at almost 10 runs an over. Saleem Malik, batting at No.7,
tore through the Indian bowling, sharing a 50-run partnership with
Akram in which the bowler scored only 3. Smashing 11 fours and a six,
including five fours in an over off Kapil, Malik’s 36-ball 72 carried
Pakistan home with only three balls left.Quarter-final, World Cup 1996,
Bangalore

A charged-up encounter with a World Cup semi-final spot for the taking received a
jolt when Akram, Pakistan’s captain, pulled out minutes before the toss.
With Ajay Jadeja smashing a 25-ball 45 – Waqar Younis was hammered for
40 off his last two overs – and Navjot Sidhu lumbering his way to 93,
the balance had shifted in the favour of the Indians even before the reply
began. Although Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail flayed the Indian attack to
start off, Sohail’s loss of temper and temperament as he tried to assert
his authority over Venkatesh Prasad, combined with the batsmen’s lack of
application saw them succumb to pressure. Anil Kumble and Prasad
grabbed three each as Pakistan perished, failing to put together reasonable
partnerships.

Sahara Cup 1996,
Toronto

Pakistan’s decision to field first, based on their strong bowling line-up,
backfired as Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Azharuddin added 161 for the
third wicket. Akram and Waqar went wicketless, while Jadeja once again
smashed a few towards the end. Although Anwar scored a 78-ball 80, wickets
tumbled regularly, and at 221 for 8, India looked all set to take a
2-0 lead in the series. Malik (70 not out) and Saqlain Mushtaq (11 not out), however,
added 44, and Pakistan scrambled home on the penultimate ball of the match, from Sunil Joshi, which Malik, playing with a twisted ankle, cut past point.Sahara Cup 1997,
Toronto

A disastrous start to the innings saw India slump to 23 for 3 in seaming
conditions against a less than threatening Pakistan attack. A brief
recovery by Azharuddin and Co. made for a somewhat respectable 182. It should have
been a comfortable target for Pakistan’s strong batting line-up, and at 103 for
3 seemed just that. That was when Sourav Ganguly’s medium pace was brought on. Utilising the conditions, and Pakistan’s frailty against the
moving ball, Ganguly snapped up five wickets – all caught – as the last
seven wickets went down for the addition of only 43 runs.India’s tour of Pakistan, 1997,
Karachi

Karachi lived up to its billing as a batsman’s paradise and
attacking seventies by Shahid Afridi and Inzamam-ul-Haq enabled Pakistan
to post a competitive score (though the innings was cut short due to crowd
trouble). India looked set for an easy victory until panic struck,
resulting in the loss of four wickets for only 26 runs, two of them
run-outs. Saba Karim and Robin Singh consolidated, and when Saqlain,
economical till then, went for 33 in three overs, a win seemed in sight.
As the ball was changed yet again in the final over, Saqlain was hit for a
six by Rajesh Chauhan and India sealed victory. 3rd Final, Independence Cup
1998, Dhaka

Saeed Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed scored blistering centuries and Saqlain grabbed
three wickets but India still managed to lift the Independence Cup
courtesy a Ganguly century and supporting knocks from Sachin Tendulkar and
Robin Singh. It wasn’t easy, though. India, at one stage 250 for 2, slumped to 281 for 5 at the hands of Saqlain. A further two quick wickets followed, and in the end it was left to Hrishikesh Kanitkar to strike a boundary in fading light off the penultimate ball of the match to seal the win.1st ODI, India’s tour of
Pakistan, 2004, Karachi

A strong batting display, especially by India’s top order, built a
mammoth 349 – the first 200 of which came in only 25 overs.
However, a brave fightback by Pakistan, after losing their openers cheaply,
took the game right down to the wire. Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam and Younis
Khan all played their part, but Inzamam’s dismissal left Pakistan requiring
72 off eight overs. The lower order failed at the last hurdle to keep up with the required rate, and Moin Khan was unable to “do a Miandad” off the last delivery.4th ODI, Pakistan’s tour of
India, 2005, Ahmedabad

Another strong batting display from India on the back of a Tendulkar 123
and a late cameo from Yuvraj Singh led them to a 300-plus score, as
Pakistan bowlers toiled in batting-friendly conditions. A
blistering opening partnership between Salman Butt and Shahid Afridi laid
the foundations of a strong reply, but with wickets falling regularly, India were still in with a good chance. Inzamam, however, provided a calm figure in the middle as
others perished around him. With three needed off the last over, he
blocked the first five deliveries before slashing the last one for a four
to round off a remarkable chase.