Dig out a list of India – Pakistan matches and it is likely that this quarter final clash from the 1996 World Cup in the sub-continent would come on top of the pile. The pressure of a knockout clash, the presence of arch-rivals and the need to satiate the angry fans in either country made this a must-win game for both sides. The build up and the aftermath to this spectacular on-field tussle made for some fantastic cricketing stories but the battle in itself was alluring to say the least.
The prelude
Every great film has a capturing trailer released a few weeks before but, in this case, it released hours before the toss. Wasim Akram, the captain of the Pakistan side, arguably in the form of his life, pulled out hours before the toss with an injury. The tension was gripping and the consequences manifested itself in the darkest of forms in the streets of Pakistan as effigies were mercilessly burnt.
It was a blessing in disguise for India who hadn’t beaten Pakistan in an ODI since the 1992 World Cup. Pakistan had also not lost to India in India since 1987, a long nine-year period. Bengaluru and the Chinnaswamy waited with bated breaths as India won the toss and opted to bat first.
The start
Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sachin Tendulkar gave India a rousing start against an Akram-less Pakistan. Just as the partnership threatened to breach the hundred-run mark, Pakistan broke through with the big wicket of Tendulkar. The likes of Sanjay Manjrekar, Mohammad Azharuddin and Vinod Kambli got starts but failed to convert it. Each of them fell in the 20s to leave India’s lower middle-order to do the bulk of the scoring later on.
The Jadeja impetus
Even as India squandered a good start in the middle overs, Ajay Jadeja decided to give India’s innings some firm momentum heading into the innings break. He blitzed 45 in 25 balls including 18 and 22 runs off successive Waqar Younis overs.
“I just was in the zone during that knock. Everything went according to a perfectly executed script, except that it didn’t go the distance – I got out on the second ball of the last over,” Jadeja would later recall the knock. “I was just playing my instinctive game that day, which I believe was the best in that situation, and it worked accordingly.”
India made a daunting 287 as the Bengaluru crowd roared.
The strong Pakistan reply
If India’s opening stand was entertaining, Pakistan’s was delightful and sent panic through the packed crowd at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Saeed Anwar and Aamer Sohail made good use of the new, hard ball and hammered India for 84 runs in the first 10 overs. Javagal Srinath produced the breakthrough when he removed Anwar for 48 but Pakistan were still ahead given the kind of batting line-up they had.
Sohail was in no mood to let his partner’s dismissals put him off either. The southpaw compiled a fine half-century before the most eye-catching battle in the history of World Cups unfolded itself at Bengaluru.
The Prasad – Sohail showdown
Soon after reaching his half-century, Sohail got into a heated exchange with Venkatesh Prasad. He pointed to the cover boundary while staring at Prasad and threw in a few slurs to pump up the fast bowler.
Arrogant by now, Sohail looked to slam Prasad’s next delivery but the bowler sneaked one in through the left-hander to shatter the stumps much to the delight of the Indian fan contingent in the stands. He was quick to give Sohail a good piece of his mind too and India suddenly had momentum swinging their way.
Prasad made most use of it by sending back the dangerous pair of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Ijaz Ahmed. With two crucial middle-order batsmen departing for a low score, Pakistan were under immense pressure.
A slight revival and quick demise
Saleem Malik and Javed Miandad stitched together a 52-run stand to bring Pakistan back into the game. India seemed to have let the game drift in the short period after Inzamam’s dismissal and the Pakistan duo capitalized. Anil Kumble then chipped in with the big wicket of Malik but Miandad was still around and India could never breathe easy.
To make matters worse, Miandad found an able man Friday in Rashid Latif. A busy player, Latif rotated strike and scored at run-a-ball to keep the target within reach. Venkatapathy Raju then came up with the big breakthrough when he had Latif stumped for 26 to leave Pakistan at 231/6. Kumble struck again to remove Mushtaq Ahmed for a duck and Miandad ran himself out to put an end to Pakistan’s hopes.
They ended 39 runs short as India celebrated their second World Cup win over Pakistan. The aftermath was contrasting in the two countries. While Bengaluru celebrated India’s qualification to the semi-finals, across the border, fans were aggrieved by Pakistan’s dismal capitulation.
The clash became a benchmark for future India – Pakistan World Cup encounters and none of them have disappointed so far in terms of excitement.