Bowl out to Kohlimania at Melbourne: IND vs PAK rivalry in T20 World Cups

Every time someone talks about the T20 World Cup the first thing that strikes the choir with the Indians is a long-haired MS Dhoni lifting the Cup in the inaugural edition in South Africa in 2007. It is nearly 17 years from then and still, the India vs Pakistan game remains the tip of the iceberg of the rivalry between the two teams.

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Before the two teams meet each other on a historic occasion for the first India vs Pakistan game in the United States at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Long Island, New York, it is time to remember how the rivalry originated and how it developed in the shortest format of the game.  

Ball-out at Durban

It all started at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban. India's first match against Scotland was washed out and they needed a win against Pakistan to stay relevant in the tournament without depending on other results.

India scored 141/7 and then guess what, Pakistan scored the same thanks to Misbah-Ul-Haq and Yasir Arafat. Before the invention of the Super Overs, bowl-outs decided who won after a tied match in T20s. The bowlers tasked to hit the stumps for India were Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Robin Uthapp and all of them hit.

For Pakistan, Umar Gul, Arafat and Shahid Afridi missed giving India a 3-0 win.

Sreesanth takes the catch at Johannesburg

The two teams met once again in South Africa and this was in the final of the tournament at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Once again it was Pakistan chasing and once again Misbah was the man trying to take them home. However, with 13 needed off the last six balls, Misbah got caught by Sreesanth at fine leg and the moment was etched in history in the famous Ravi Shastri quote, "Sreesanth takes it and India are the new World champions."

Start of the Kohli era against Pakistan at Colombo

For the two teams to meet next time, it took three World Cups as they did not meet in 2009 and 2010. When they did meet in 2012, it marked the arrival of a new king in the town- Virat Kohli.

Pakistan were bowled out for 128 courtesy of Laxmipathy Balaji picking three wickets. After that, Kohli played a brilliant innings of unbeaten 78 as India chased the total down with ease.

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Spinners dent Pakistan at Mirpur

The two arch-rivals met once again in the 2014 T20 World Cup and this time around it was the Indian spinners, led by Amit Mishra that restricted Pakistan to 130/7. India made no fuss about chasing it and ending a third one-sided match in their favour in this rivalry.

Kohli weathers Pak pacer storm at Eden Gardens

After too many one-sided games between the neighbours, the audiences were in for another one at the World Cup after Pakistan could put only 118/5 on their 18 overs quota in the run-curtailed game at the Eden Gardens during the 2016 T20 World Cup match.

However, the Pakistani pace trio of Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Sami spiced the game up by getting three Indian wickets in the first five overs. However, Kohli was there and he made sure that India went on to win the tie with 13 balls to spare. He scored 55 off just 35 balls and put the pressure back on the Pakistani team.

 

Babar and Rizwan get one back for Pakistan in Dubai

The only time that Pakistan was able to get the better of the Indian team in a World Cup was during the T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE and Oman. Ironically, it was hosted by India there because of the pandemic.

Firstly it was Shaheen Afrid and his ins-winging yorkers that restricted the Indian team to 151/7 and then Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan just did not get out, giving Pakistan a comprehensive 10-wicket win.

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Kohli does the unthinkable, wins a thriller at MCG

Now, coming to the last meeting between these two teams. It was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia during the 2022 T20 World Cup and India needed 27 to win off the last eight balls. In the 19th over, Haris Rauf had bowled four peach deliveries and then all of a sudden Kohli pulled him straight down the ground for a six on the fifth ball. This was a shot not taught in cricket academies, but developed purely by the brilliance of a man.

That set the tone and India managed to score the next 21 runs in seven balls and win a thriller to keep a 6-1 lead in the T20 World Cups against the arch-rivals.

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