India vs Pakistan: 4 best games in ICC tournaments this century
India Pakistan cricket is one of the fiercest rivalries in world cricket. Some fans argue that India vs Pakistan cricket is on par or even better than the Ashes in terms of excitement and passion for the game. No atmosphere in world cricket can quite match the atmosphere in an India vs Pakistan cricket match.
Indian and Pakistani cricket players’ careers are almost defined by their performances in India vs Pakistan cricket matches. Players can attain legendary status in cricket folklore by performing in India Pakistan cricket matches. A good example of this is India’s Joginder Sharma, who starred in the final of the 2007 World Cup final but was never seen playing for India again.
Numerous encounters have taken place over the years when in India vs Pakistan cricket matches like the Saeed Anwar-Venkatesh Prasad duel in 1996 and Sachin Tendulkar’s six off Shoaib Akthar in 2003 still live long in fans’ memories.
As political tensions between the two countries have risen, India Pakistan cricket matches are only being played in multi-team events like the World Cup and Asia Cup. India Pakistan cricket in bilateral series has ceased to exist, with the teams last playing a bilateral series in 2012-13.
In this article, let us take a look at some of the best India vs Pakistan cricket matches of the 21st century.
4. India vs Pakistan, 2003 ODI World Cup, Centurion
This India Pakistan cricket match is best remembered for the upper-cut six that Sachin Tendulkar hit towards the third-man off Pakistan cricket player Shoaib Akthar. This match, which would later be called the “Battle of Centurion”, was played in the league stages of the 2003 World Cup.
Indian cricket team players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Pakistan cricket team players like Wasim Akram, Saeed Anwar, and Pakistan cricket team captain and current Pakistan cricket team coach Waqar Younis are just some of the players to feature in this game.
Pakistan batted first and scored a hefty 273, with Saeed Anwar scoring a blistering century. Chasing a huge total, Sachin Tendulkar played like a man on a mission as he got India off to a flyer. He taught a cricketing lesson to the famed Pakistan bowling trio of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akthar. He got out at 98(75) but India went on to win the game by 6 wickets.
3. India vs Pakistan, 2021 T20 World Cup, Dubai
This India Pakistan cricket match will be remembered as the first time Pakistan won against India in an ICC event. This was the first game for both teams in the tournament and the Pakistan cricket team won the toss and chose to bowl.
Shaheen Shah Afridi was brilliant with the new ball, removing Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in the first over of the game. The Indian cricket team never recovered from there, even though Virat Kohli played a decent inning of 57(49), finishing at 151.
In the chase, the Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan decimated the Indian bowling attack. Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam scored 68(52), while Rizwan scored 79(55) as Pakistan secured the victory without losing a single wicket.
2. India vs Pakistan, 2017 Champions Trophy Final, The Oval
The Pakistan cricket team stunned India and the rest of the cricketing world by miraculously winning the Champions Trophy in 2017. The victory was made even sweeter as they defeated arch-rivals India in the final.
The Indian cricket team won the toss and surprisingly decided to bowl first. Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli was made to regret the decision very early as Fakhar Zaman scored a brilliant 114 off 106 deliveries to take the game away from India.
Azhar Ali and Mohammed Hafeez also scored vital half-centuries to take Pakistan to a colossal 338/4 after 50 overs. Chasing an improbable total, India’s fate was decided quite early as Mohammed Amir ran riot, picking up India’s top 3 inside the powerplay.
Hardik Pandya tried hard with a 76(43) but India couldn’t recover and was all-out for just 158. After being written off before the final, Pakistan cricket team captain Sarfaraz Ahmed inspired his team to a brilliant come-from-behind win.
1. India vs Pakistan, 2007 T20 World Cup Final, Johannesburg
The Indian cricket team won the inaugural T20 World Cup by beating Pakistan in a nail-biting final. The picture of Sreesanth taking the catch to dismiss Misbah-ul-Haq still lives in Indian fans’ memories.
India won the toss and MS Dhoni chose to bat first in the final. Gautam Gambhir led the way for India as he scored a brilliant fifty opening the batting. Gambhir’s 75(54) coupled with current India cricket team captain Rohit Sharma’s 30(16) helped India put in a competitive total of 157.
In the chase, Pakistan was reeling at 77/6 at one stage, with Indian cricket team players Irfan Pathan and RP Singh taking 6 wickets. But Misbah-ul-Haq played a gem of an innings to take Pakistan to the brink. With 6 needed off 4 balls and just 1 wicket remaining, Misbah played a scoop shot straight into the hands of Sreesanth to break the Pakistan cricket players’ hearts.