India Vs Pakistan cricket matches have always not been just about cricket, it is essentially two teams fighting out a war on the 22 yard wicket. We have witnessed many a classic matches against these two Asian powerhouses. Matches that immediately come to mind would be the classic test at Chennai, when an injured Sachin Tendulkar almost took India home, but he and India were stopped by a equally rampaging Saqlain Mushtaq. Particularly there are a few ODI matches which are part of cricketing folklore. The world cup encounters have always produced historic moments like the 1992 world cup, when Javed Miandad produced his jumping act to imitate Kiran More, the 1996 world cup encounter being remembered for Aamir Sohail’s finger pointing towards Venkatesh Prasad after hitting a boundary and the bowler giving it back by uprooting his wicket. There was also Ajay Jadeja’s maniacal hitting against the best death bowler in the world at that time Waqar Younis. But one match that will always be remembered is the 1986 Australasia cup at Sharjah.
Cricket lovers need no introduction about this match. Pakistan needed 4 runs of the last ball , Chetan Sharma ran into bowl his most fateful ball and Javed Miandad smoked that for a six. It was a moment Chetan Sharma could not get over with and even though he took a hattrick later on and performed some match winning acts for India, he is always remembered as the man who bowled India to a loss over Pakistan. History was repeated again day before yesterday when Afridi smashed 10 runs of Ashwin’s last over to guide Pakistan to a rollicking victory. There are many coincidences from the historic match at Sharjah and the one at Mirpur. To start with, both matches were played at neutral venues (Sharjah – UAE and Mirpur – Bangladesh) and Pakistan won the tosses on both occasions and chose to field. India scored the same runs on both the occasions (245). Indian openers at both the matches scored two sixes (Kris Srikkanth and Rohit Sharma). Also three Indian batsmen scored half centuries (Srikanth , Gavaskar and Vengsarkar) and (Rohit Sharma , Ambati Rayudu and Jadeja).
The fateful last overs bowled by Chetan Sharma to Miandad and Ashwin to Afridi have too many coincidences. The Number 10 batsmen on both occasions were bowled (Zulqarnain and Ajmal). The Number 11’s of both teams (Tauseef Ahmed and Junaid Khan) took a crucial singles to hand over the strike to the recognized batsmen. Both matches ended in the last over and in both cases Pakistan won the matches with one wicket to spare. Importantly both Afridi and Miandad finished of the match with a six.
History was meant to repeat itself during the Asia Cup encounter, and all these facts stated above are a true indication of that. The only paradox can be the temperament of the two men at the heart of the chase, Afridi and Miandad. How much over they achieve, they will be part of cricketing folklore, because of these sixes.