India Vs Pakistan: 5 Memorable ODIs

India and Pakistan have produced some thrilling contests over the years.

Who can forget the 1996 World Cup quarter-final in Bengaluru?

Or Sachin Tendulkar's magical knock at Centurion in the 2003 World Cup?

Or Kapil Dev-inspired India bowling out Pakistan 87 at Sharjah?

A look at five memorable India-Pakistan ODIs:

1996 World Cup, Bengaluru

Result: India won by 39 runs

The 1996 World Cup quarter-final in Bangalore was one of the most memorable India-Pakistan clashes.

Navjot Singh Sidhu top scored with 93 before Ajay Jadeja destroyed Waqar Younis at the end, but the match is famously remembered for Venkatesh Prasad's celebrations after dismissing Aamir Sohail.

Sohail, who was leading Pakistan in place of the injured Wasim Akram, looked all charged up during the run chase.

After hitting a boundary off Prasad, he gestured at the bowler, indicating to him where he would dispatch his next ball.

Prasad responded in the best possible manner by dismissing Sohail off the very next delivery as he made room and attempted an outrageous shot through the off-side. He missed the ball completely as Prasad sent the off-stump cartwheeling.

And this time, Prasad returned the favour as he showed Sohail the way to the dressing room.

Earlier, India posted a healthy 287/8 in their 50 overs after electing to bat in the first day-night match at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on March 9, 1996.

Sidhu never let the Pakistan spin duo of Mushtaq Ahmed and Aamer Sohail settle down as he time and again came down the track to loft them over the top. He struggled with an injury and batted with a runner for the latter part of the innings.

He was unlucky to miss out on a century as he fell for 93, bowled by Mushtaq Ahmed in the 37th over.

When Captain Mohammad Azharuddin fell after a quick 27 from 22 balls in the 42nd over, it seemed India would struggle to get the boundaries at the end.

But Ajay Jadeja changed the script completely and left everyone amazed with his stunning attack at the end, taking apart Waqar Younis.

Younis was hit for a couple of fours by Anil Kumble and a four and a six by Jadeja in the 48th over, before the latter again smashed him for two sixes in a row in the final over.

Jadeja blasted 45 from 25 balls as India scored 51 from the last 3 overs, with Waqar giving away 40 runs in his last two overs after his first eight had cost just 27.

Pakistan made a strong start with the bat as their two left-handed openers Sohail and Saeed Anwar went after the Indian bowlers in the early overs as the visitors raced to 84 in 10 overs.

Javagal Srinath gave the Indians relief with Anwar's wicket, but Sohail continued to attack from the other end. He invited the fury of the Bangalore crowd as he taunted local boy Prasad after hitting him for a four, gesturing to him that he would again smash the next ball for a boundary.

But he ended up with an egg on his face as Prasad clean bowled him next ball and that proved to be a turning point.

From 113/1 in the 15th over, Pakistan slipped to 132/4 in the 21st over.

The Karnataka trio of Srinath (1/61), Prasad (3/45) and Kumble (3/48) served up a grand party for the home fans as they shared seven wickets between them.

Pakistan lost four wickets for eight runs in the space of 15 balls to finish on 248/9 as India won by 39 runs.

Sharjah, March 1985, Four Nations Cup

Result: India won by 38 runs

India came up with one of their finest bowling performances to outclass Pakistan in a low-scoring thriller.

Imran Khan sent the Indian team crashing for 125 in 42.4 overs, with sensational figures of 6/14 in 10 overs in the first match of the Rothmans Four-Nations Cup in Sharjah on March 22, 1985.

Imran ran through the top order with the wickets of Ravi Shastri (0), Kris Srikkanth (6), Dilip Vengsarkar (1), Sunil Gavaskar (2) and Mohinder Amarnath (5) as India collapsed to 34/5.

Captain Kapil Dev stroked 30, while Mohammad Azharuddin made 47 to help India somehow get past the 100 run mark.

Pakistan were expected to win easily, but India's bowlers came up with spirited performances.

Led by Kapil, the bowlers left Pakistan in a mess.

Pakistan were looking good on 35/1 before Roger Binny dismissed Mudassar Nazar for 18 and Kapil struck with the key wicket of the well-set Ramiz Raja for 29.

Javed Miandad, Ashraf Ali and Imran all fell for ducks; the latter two perishing to leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan.

The last four wickets fell for just two runs as Pakistan were bundled out for a lowly 87 in 32.4 overs.

1986 AustralAsia Cup Final, Sharjah

Result: Pakistan won by one wicket

Javed Miandad broke millions of Indian hearts with his last ball six off Chetan Sharma off the final delivery as Pakistan edge India by just one wicket on April 18, 1986.

Put into bat in the final of the five-nation AustralAsia Cup, India got off to a good start with Srikkanth and Gavaskar putting on a quick opening stand of 117 runs.

Srikkanth smashed his way to 75 from 80 balls while Gavaskar batted positively to score 92 from 134 balls.

No 3 Dilip Vensgsarkar continued to pile on the runs with a fluent 50 before Pakistan stormed back with some late wickets at the end.

From being well-placed at 216/1 at one stage, India lost six wickets for 29 runs and finished on 245/7 in their 50 overs as Imran and Wasim Akram worked their magic with the ball.

In reply, India kept chipping away at the wickets, but No 4 Miandad kept Pakistan in the hunt.

After Pakistan had slipped to 110/4, Miandad got the innings back on track in the company of Abdul Qadir, who made 34, as the duo put on 71 runs for the fifth wicket.

Qadir fell to Kapil and Madan Lal bagged the big wicket of Imran Khan (7) and Chetan Sharma dismissed Manzoor Elahi as Pakistan were reduced to 215/7.

Miandad, who completed his century, had single-handedly kept Pakistan in the game, but he faced the tough task of scoring 11 from the final over with tailenders at the other end.

Kapil, who had completed his quota of 10 overs, handed the ball to the inexperienced Chetan, who had impressed with three wickets so far.

The over turned out to be quite eventful.

Akram was run out off the first ball at the non-striker's end after Miandad called him for a non-existent second run to long-on.

Miandad swung the next the ball through midwicket for a four before he swept the third ball but a brilliant dive from short fine leg saved a certain boundary, conceding just a single which took Miandad away from the strike.

Zulqarnain had a big swing off the fourth ball but missed it completely and was bowled.

Azharuddin missed a run-out chance off the fifth ball as last man Tauseef Ahmed tapped it straight to point and set off for a run to bring Miandad back on strike.

That proved to be the vital moment as Chetan missed the yorker and gifted Miandad a full toss, which he heaved over midwicket for a six to steer Pakistan to one of their greatest wins by the narrowest of margins.

Independence Cup 3rd Final, Dhaka, 1998

Result: India won by three wickets

India pulled off a sensational three-wicket win with one ball to spare against Pakistan in the third match of the best-of-three final to lift the Coca Cola Independence Cup at the national stadium in Dhaka on January 18, 1998.

It was a high-scoring game in which both teams scored above 300 runs, with India pulling off the then record for the highest run chase in ODIs.

India's fielding was a major letdown as Saeed Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed made full use of five dropped chances to steer Pakistan to a huge 314/5 after they were put into bat in the match reduced to 48 overs because of bad light.

Anwar made 140 off 132 balls, including 15 fours and two sixes, while Ahmed smashed 117 off 112 balls, hitting seven fours and one six as the duo put on 230 runs for the third wicket.

In reply, Sourav Ganguly led India's strong reply with a splendid century. He along with Sachin Tendulkar, who slammed 41 from 26 balls, went on the attack right from the start as they put on 71 runs for the opening wicket.

The ploy to promote Robin Singh to No 3 worked wonders for India as the left-hander hit a quickfire 82, while adding 179 runs for the second wicket with Ganguly.

Singh, who was also dropped twice, made most of reprieve as he and Ganguly kept getting the boundaries in the middle overs as India raed past 200 in the 30th over. However, his dismissal saw Pakistan make their way back into the contest.

India were in control with 48 needed from the last eight overs. But Ganguly fell after a magnificent 124 from 138 balls as he was bowled by Aaqib Javed and Sidhu (5) fell in the very next over.

India suffered a late collapse as Ajay Jadeja and Nayan Mongia also perished cheaply as the equation came down to nine from the last over under fading light at the national stadium in Dhaka.

Hrishikesh Kanitkar was at the crease along with Srinath for the final over bowled by Pakistan's champion spinner Saqlain Mushtaq. Kanitkar managed just a single off the first ball before Srinath bagged a couple each off the next two balls and then took a single.

With three needed from the last two balls, Kanitkar swung Saqlain over midwicket for a boundary to take India to the title triumph, as they won by three wickets with a ball to spare.

2003 World Cup, Centurion

Result: India won by 6 wickets

Sachin Tendulkar batted like a man possessed as India overpowered Pakistan by six wickets in another exciting World Cup match at Centurion, on March 1, 2023.

Electing to bat, Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar continued to be a thorn in India's flesh as he smashed his way to a century. He had been short of runs coming into the match, but bounced back to register his 20th ODI hundred.

Anwar's 101 and some handy contributions from the lower order carried Pakistan to a healthy 273/7 in their 50 overs.

In reply, India got off the blocks in breathtaking fashion with Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag going out on an all-out attack against the Pakistan pace battery.

The faster the trio of Shoaib Akhtar, Akram and Waqar bowled, the faster the ball disappeared to the boundary.

The India openers made their intent clear with a boundary each off Akram in the first over of the run chase before Tendulkar took Akhtar apart, smashing him for a six over third man with the uppercut, followed by successive boundaries on the leg side.

Akhtar was taken off after conceding 18 in his first over, but his replacement Waqar also suffered.

Sehwag also took a cue from Tendulkar as he welcome Waqar with a six over third man with the upper cut.

Waqar though thwarted India's hopes with the wicket of Sehwag (21) and Ganguly (0) in the sixth over ,but there was no stopping Tendulkar.

Tendulkar in the company of Mohammad Kaif put on 102 runs for the third wicket before both perished in the space of few overs.

Tendulkar missed out on a deserved century as he was caught at point off Akhtar after a stunning 98 from 75 balls.

When Tendulkar departed, India still needed 93 runs and Rahul Dravid (44 not out) and Yuvraj Singh (50 not out from 53 balls) brought all their experience into play with an unbroken stand of 99 runs to take India home.

We would also love to know what your most memorable India-Pakistan ODI matches are. Please post your comments in the message board below.

• Asia Cup 2023