Kolkata (West Bengal): With cricket as a religion in both countries, India and Pakistan virtually have their eyes set on nothing else but the India-Pakistan clash in Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera (earlier known as Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium) on Saturday, October 14th. The 22-yard strip is now at the centre of attraction for the whole of India and Pakistan.
Mind it, enjoying an overwhelming World Cup record of 7-0 against the arch-rivals doesn't even provide the narrowest of edges to the Men in Blue. It's a new day, a new match, and a new rivalry that is due for renewal at the Motera ground.
Let's take a look at how things panned out for the arch-rivals over the years in the ICC World Cup since 1992...
Rewinding the clock 29 years ago, the rivalry was brought to the dining tables of the households by two stalwarts of either side — Javed Miandad and Kiran More — whose on-ground antics not only lent the game a different dimension but upped the ante among the citizens of both the countries at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia. India eventually won the fixture by 43 runs.
Four years later, the neighbours met again. This time Bengaluru was the venue where all the action took place between two uncanny characters, who were basically calm and cool in normal circumstances. The showdown began with Pakistani opener Aamer Sohail showing medium-pacer Venkatesh Prasad where he would hit him. The next delivery, Prasad returning the gesture in an agitated manner by dismissing Sohail has remained etched in our memories for as long as cricket buffs live. Again, India thumped Pakistan by 39 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The 1999 World Cup in England also ended in India's favour at a time when the Kargil War hit all the headlines on either side of the Line of Control (LoC). The stakes were high at Manchester when the two teams faced, but the on-field antics took a turnaround for good and Mohammed Azharuddin-led India once again ended on the winning note getting better of the rivals by 47 runs.
However, India had a whole new setup under a young captain Sourav Ganguly and made it to the final of the championship in the next edition in 2003. No antics, no war of words, only quality that got precedence in the whole tournament, and of course against Pakistan at Centurion. But the result was still the same. Pakistan couldn't manage a victory against India as they lost by 47 runs in the World Cup with pressure piling on them.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led India again got Pakistan in their den in 2011, where India eventually went on to win their second World Cup. No change. Indians defeated the Pakistanis by 29 runs in the semifinal in Mohali to advance to the summit clash. However, the silver lining for Pakistan was pacer Wahab Riaz's fifer. For India, it was sheer good luck as master blaster Sachin Tendulkar was dropped four times en route to his 85.
Back in Australia after 23 years (since 1992), an Indo-Pak clash in the World Cup in 2015 also couldn't swing Pakistan's luck in the Adelaide Oval. India won the engagement by a comfortable 76-run margin in the opening match of the World Cup edition. India made another dent in Pakistanis' hopes after scoring 300 for seven in the allotted 50 overs.
In 2019, it was Pakistan's bad luck that the match went on to be decided by applying the Duckworth-Lewis (DLS) method after India scored 336 for five. In response, Pakistan could only muster 212 for six thereby losing by 89 runs to Virat Kohli-led India.
Come Saturday, it will be India's chance to make it 8-0 while Pakistanis will be desperate to pull one back to save them the blushes. This time, the Men in Blue are better equipped with a formidable bowling side that has been Pakistan's forte over the years.
Also read: Cricket World Cup: All roads lead to Motera for marquee India-Pakistan clash
