India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is incomplete with out mentioning the long-lasting final ball six by Javed Miandad off a Chetan Sharma full-toss at Sharjah in 1986. It’s one second that has typically overshadowed even the quite a few World Cup victories India has achieved towards their neighbours.
Ever since that fateful day when Pakistan received towards India for the primary time in Sharjah, there was a excessive voltage build-up each time the 2 nations meet, and the match within the upcoming Asia Cup will probably be no completely different.
This Asia Cup 2022 assembly would be the second ever between the 2 groups within the Gulf nation in T20Is. The one different time was within the T20 World Cup 2021, the place Pakistan received the sport by ten wickets in a one-sided affair. Of late, most Ind-Pak conferences have been one-sided.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t at all times like this. From the late 80s until the late 90s, the ODIs performed between India and Pakistan within the impartial deserts of Sharjah formed the rivalry referred to as the most important rivalry within the cricketing world.
Preliminary victories for India
India and Pakistan met in Sharjah for the primary time in 1984, which was additionally the inaugural version of the Asia Cup. The Indian workforce received the sport simply. The subsequent assembly in Sharjah was virtually a 12 months later, in March 1985. After India was rolled over for a meagre 125, the chase was thought-about a cakewalk for Pakistan. Laxman Sivaramakrishnan had different concepts as he, alongside Ravi Shastri, choked Pakistan. The 2 spinners picked two wickets every to bowl out the neighbours for less than 87.
The enduring Miandad victory
India had a 3-0 file towards Pakistan in Sharjah and appeared all set to register its fourth win. Chasing 246 within the ’80s was not straightforward, and if the chasing workforce was 4-110 within the first 25 overs, with in-form batters Salim Malik, Ramiz Raja and Mohsin Khan out, it appeared virtually not possible for Pakistan to win.
Kris Srikanth, who had hit a fifty for India in that sport, later confessed in an interview that he had heard Javed Miandad say, “Mere ko bas ek banda chahiye jo khada rahe (I want only one man to remain on the different finish, I’ll win this one).”
Chetan Sharma bowled 5 sensible balls with 12 runs wanted off the final over. Pakistan was 9 down and would have misplaced had Mohd. Azharuddin thrown the ball to Sharma on the non-striker’s finish, the place Tauseef Ahmed was quick by a substantial margin. However that didn’t occur. What occurred was that Miandad, who had already hit a century, was again on strike for the final ball.
With 5 wanted off the final ball, Sharma bowled a low full toss, and Miandad deposited it within the mid-wicket stand to turn into an in a single day legend.
A story of one other 12 runs and India ending second once more
There was an opportunity for India to actual revenge for the 1986 loss, 5 years later in 1991. Due to Aamer Sohail’s sensible 91, Pakistan made 257 of their 50 overs. India, who had ended their eight-match shedding run towards Pakistan at Sharjah of their earlier match, appeared all set to chase the goal down with a 124-run stand for the primary wicket between Vinod Kambli and Ravi Shastri.
Three wickets fell in fast succession, and India was 133-3. Sanjay Manjrekar and Sachin Tendulkar added 85 for the fourth wicket. With solely 38 wanted to win and 7 wickets in hand, it by no means appeared like Pakistan would win. However lights began to fade within the stadium, and the umpires provided Indian batters gentle.
As Manjrekar would later confess, the Indian workforce didn’t take the sunshine as a result of the administration was by no means informed whether or not they have been forward of the required runs or not. Manjrekar continued as wickets saved falling. With 12 wanted off six balls, Waqar Younis bowled a implausible over. It will definitely boiled right down to Kiran Extra on strike and India needing 5 runs to win. No run got here off the final ball, and India misplaced by 4 runs.
Going past Sharjah and the decline within the depth
After the match-fixing sagas of the mid and late 90s, India vs Pakistan cricket could not return to Sharjah. The final time the 2 groups performed in a cricket sequence in Sharjah was means again in 1999-2000.
Later, they met for a two-match ODI sequence at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2005-06. After that, it was the 2018-19 Asia Cup (50 overs match) the place India-Pakistan met, and India received each matches comfortably.
India vs Pak in UAE
Complete Matches |
29 |
India Win |
09 |
Pakistan Win |
20 |