India and Pakistan are set to renew their cricket rivalry once they meet of their T20 World Cup opener in Melbourne on Sunday.
It will likely be the twelfth time that each groups will face one another in cricket’s shortest format.
India maintain a transparent lead within the head-to-head document, with 9 wins in opposition to Pakistan’s three.
Nevertheless, Pakistan have gained two of the final three matches between the 2 sides.
Here’s a take a look at 5 of probably the most thrilling T20 matches between these two.
Closing, World T20 2007 (Johannesburg)
A World Cup last between India and Pakistan, a last-over end, an improvised shot gone improper.
It was pretty much as good as a cricket last might get.
The match introduced unbridled pleasure to India and heartbreak to Pakistan, this encounter from the primary ever T20 World Cup in South Africa is arguably their most epic match within the shortest format of the sport.
MS Dhoni selected to bat first in opposition to Pakistan’s much-fancied bowling lineup. His crew ended up setting a goal of 158, due to a 54-ball 75 from Gautam Gambhir and a late blitz by Rohit Sharma. Pakistan’s chase was staggered with a daily lack of wickets earlier than Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq managed to place it again on observe.
With six wanted off the final 4 balls, Misbah scooped Joginder Sharma however was caught at quick fine-leg. It resulted in some of the iconic photographs in cricket historical past: Misbah crouched on the pitch in disbelief as Indian gamers erupt in pleasure round him.
It was the match that endeared the T20 format to tens of millions of Indian cricket followers and subsequently bankrolled tens of millions of {dollars} into the sport within the type of the Indian Premier League in 2008.
Group match, T20 World Cup 2021 (Dubai)
Pakistan went into this recreation with the ignominious document of getting by no means crushed India in a World Cup match.
The pre-match evaluation positioned India as favourites primarily based on this document and India’s rating.
With a powerful bowling lineup led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam selected to discipline first.
Afridi, who has a knack for selecting up wickets in his first over, removed KL Rahul off the fourth supply and Rohit Sharma in his second over. India managed to succeed in 157.
Pakistan’s batting boasted the highest T20-opening pair of Babar and Mohammad Rizwan. The openers lived as much as their repute and took Pakistan residence for an astonishing 10-wicket win that left the followers and pundits befuddled.
Pakistan had lastly damaged the World Cup curse in opposition to India.
Group match, T20 World Cup 2007 (Durban)
The inaugural T20 World Cup produced two thrilling finishes in cricket’s most intense rivalry. Whereas the ultimate took the limelight, India and Pakistan performed one other intently fought match within the group levels. In actual fact, it was as shut because it might get – a tie.
India’s complete of 141 was constructed round Robin Uthappa’s half-century, and contributions from captain MS Dhoni and all-rounder Irfan Pathan. Mohammad Asif, Pakistan’s wily fast-bowler, took 4 wickets for 18 runs.
For Pakistan, many of the runs got here from Misbah-ul-Haq and captain Shoaib Malik. Pakistan drew stage on runs with two balls to go, when Misbah was runout.
As a substitute of an excellent over, the foundations then stipulated {that a} tie be damaged with a bowl-out – cricket’s model of penalties. India’s bowlers hit the stumps on their first three makes an attempt whereas Pakistan missed all three, handing India a uncommon bowl-out win of 3-0.
Tremendous 4, Asia Cup 2022 (Dubai)
This was the groups’ second assembly within the Asia Cup 2022, with India recording a five-wicket win within the group levels.
Each groups superior to the Tremendous Fours, the place they needed to win two matches to have an opportunity of qualifying for the ultimate.
Within the 2021 World Cup win, Pakistan had been aided by the brilliance of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s bowling, and the unbreakable Babar-Rizwan partnership. This time round Afridi was injured and Babar was going through a dip in type.
India regarded snug in opposition to Pakistan’s tempo assault till Haris Rauf dismissed Rohit Sharma. It was then right down to Pakistan’s spinners to limit India, who completed at 181-7.
Pakistan needed to depend on their lower-order lineup of all-rounders and massive hitters to be able to avenge their group-stage loss within the match. Mohammad Nawaz got here to the rescue with a 20-ball 41 as Pakistan acquired residence with one ball to spare in a tense end.
Asia Cup 2016 (Mirpur)
India got here into this match as favourites with a star-studded lineup and good current type.
When MS Dhoni put Pakistan into bat, he wouldn’t have predicted his opponents to fold as shortly as they did. Aside from Khurram Manzoor’s 10 and Sarfaraz Ahmed’s 25, not one of the Pakistan batters reached double figures.
India had a seemingly straightforward job in entrance of them, chasing Pakistan’s 83. However Mohammad Amir, the left-arm quick bowler making his worldwide return after serving his spot-fixing ban, had different plans. He dismissed each Indian openers in his first over after which Suresh Raina in his second, to go away India at 8-3 in three overs.
This was when Virat Kohli took over the job of rebuilding India’s chase and noticed out Amir. Kohli was dismissed on 49, however he had taken India inside eight runs of the full. India ended up profitable by 5 wickets.
