India vs Pakistan is arguably the fiercest rivalry in world cricket. There is never a dearth of drama and action when the two neighbours meet. There’s so much at stake in a contest between the arch-rivals that losing is just not an option for the players from either side.
Emotions run so high during the course of the match that sometimes it ends up in sledging, banter and heated moments.
Here are 8 of the biggest fights in the history of India-Pakistan cricket matches.
1. Kapil Dev vs Majid Khan, 1978
The spat broke out between Kapil Dev and Pakistani batsman Majid Khan after the pacer opted for a negative line. India needed to defend 125 runs in about 25 overs to draw the second Test in 1978 and skipper Bishan Singh Bedi asked his bowlers to bowl a defensive line. Kapil regularly pitched the bowl on the leg side and it made Majid so angry that at one point, he pulled out the leg stump and placed it way down the leg side to indicate where the pacers deliveries will reach.
2. Kiran More vs Javed Miandad, 1992
In the World Cup match, Indian wicket-keeper Kiran More kept pestering Javed Miandad from behind the wicket. Miandad got so infuriated with the excessive appealing that he stopped the bowler, turned to face the keeper and had a word with More. The banter continued and after the facing the next delivery, Miandad did three jumps in the air holding his bat in both hands to imitate More’s appealing.
3. Venkatesh Prasad vs Aamer Sohail, 1996
In the World Cup quarter-final clash, Pakistan needed to chase down a big total to win the match. Opener Aamer Sohail was in his element and smashed Venkatesh Prasad for a boundary through covers. The Pakistani batsman then gestured towards Prasad to go and fetch the ball. Egged by Sohail’s antics, Prasad staged a brilliant comeback by uprooting Sohail’s stumps on the very next delivery.
4. Virender Sehwag vs Shoaib Akhtar, 2003
Shoaib Akhtar kept on bowling bouncers to Virender Sehwag forcing him to play the pull shot, something that Sehwag was not very comfortable with. The opener asked the bowler to bowl the same to Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, which he easily dispatched for a six. After the six, Sehwag went up to Akhtar and said “Baap baap hota hai aur beta beta hota hai.”
5. Gautam Gambhir vs Shahid Afridi, 2007
One of the biggest cricket fights during an India-Pakistan match. Gautam Gambhir played the ball down the ground and on his way to a single, ran into Shahid Afridi. The collision led to a heated argument where abuses were exchanged. The umpires had to eventually separate the players. Both the players were fined by the match referee after the incident.
6. Gautam Gambhir and Kamran Akmal, 2010
Gambhir is not known for holding back and during the 2010 Asia Cup, Pakistani wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal kept on making unsuccessful appeals so the batsman decided to confront him. The ugly spat broke out during the drinks break. Gambhir charged towards Akmal for his unsporting behaviour. Things got heated and India skipper MS Dhoni had to intervene and pull Gambhir away to diffuse the tension.
7. Harbhajan Singh vs Shoaib Akhtar, 2010
Harbhajan Singh went hammer and tongs at the Pakistani pacer Akhtar after he tried to provoke the batsman. India needed 7 runs off seven balls and after finishing his over with a dot ball Akhtar went to tease Harbhajan which led to an ugly fight. The batsman slammed Mohammad Aamir for a six in the last over to lead India to victory.
8. Ishant Sharma vs Kamran Akmal, 2012
Things got so serious between Ishant Sharma and Kamran Akmal in this T20 match that umpires had to intervene. Akmal who survived after getting out on a no-ball got into a war of words with Ishant after he beat him on the next delivery. Both players started yelling at each other before umpires and the rest of the Indian players pulled them away.
So what’s in store for us at the Champions Trophy encounter on June 4th. Let’s wait and watch!