The Greatest India-Pakistan ODI Games: An Overview

India and Pakistan are great rivalries when it comes to world cricket and in the past, the two teams have indeed played with each other long enough. We, at Cricket Betting Tips India, brings to an overview of the best ODIs contests and betting odds that took place between both the teams. So, let’s dive in deeper!

The biggest ODI contests between India and Pakistan

Below mentioned are some of the most popular contests that took place between the two competing teams over the past years.

Sharjah, Four Nations Cup, March 1985

In the 1985 Four Nations Cup, India beat Pakistan in the final of the Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket in Australia, and the one-day cricket was beginning to replace Test cricket as the most popular format. It was during this time, Imran Khan took 6 for 14 to bowl India out for just 125. Later, Kapil Dev and the talented L Sivaramakrishnan ripped through Pakistan, who lost their last four wickets for two runs to finish with 87. India finally won by 38 runs. It was truly a breathtaking performance!

Bangalore, World Cup quarter-final, March 1996

This word cup between India and Pakistan in 1996 was indeed epic. Ajay Jadeja’s uplifting attack against Waqar Younis and the Aamer Sohail v Venkatesh Prasad was certainly eventful and, for a while, looked like it could go either way. But India again won by 39 runs.

Dhaka, Independence Cup – 3rd final, January 1998

It was during the third final of the Independence Cup, Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed had batted India out of the contest, but Sourav Ganguly fought back firmly with a century and a 179-run stand with Robin Singh, and Kanitkar sealed it with a four off the penultimate ball. They made the country proud again by winning in three wickets.

Karachi, bilateral series, March 2004

This was the first match of a historic tour and was a truly exciting match. A total of 700 runs were scored overall. Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid played top knocks; Inzamam-ul-Haq got a century in the chase; and some really special bowling came from Zaheer Khan, L Balaji and Ashish Nehra that made Pakistan short. The India team won by five runs. 

The Oval, Champions Trophy, final, 2017

The Oval championship was a memorable one. The match was spellbinding as it was the Champions Trophy final and Pakistan won it despite all pre-match logic favoring India. They also dominated Pakistan in the opening game of the tournament and only lost to them twice before in a major ICC event. Apart from this, it was also memorable because of Mohammad Amir. Fakhar Zaman’s century set up a challenging chase for India, even with their mighty batting line-up. But Amir left no room for doubt and accounted for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shikhar Dhawan. The watch was exhilarating and one of the best championships that took place till date. 

Chennai, Independence Cup, May 1997

Again this match remains memorable because of the innings. Anwar was the dasher and the double-century was definitely expected. But it was a shame when he couldn’t make it up with more than three overs left in the innings. He was caught off the top edge sweeping Sachin Tendulkar and Pakistan won by thirty-five runs.

Hyderabad, bilateral series, March 1987

During the year 1987, a Pakistan team could spend two months playing in India. Pakistan had already won the first two games of the six-match series by the time the two teams met in Hyderabad. Abdul Qadir faced the last ball with Pakistan needing two to win. But after completing the first run, he attempted an impossible second and was run out. His dismissal meant Pakistan had lost seven wickets compared to India’s six, which, according to the rules for that series, gave India the win. Pakistan did win the series 5-1.

Calcutta, bilateral series, February 1987

Did you know? The ODI innings of the ’80s for me came from Saleem Malik from the stands at Eden Gardens. The batsmen then scored 72 runs at a strike rate of 200. Pakistan was chasing 239 in 40 overs. Malik came in at 161 for 5 and seemed to smash every single ball exactly where he wanted to. At 174 for 6, when Imran Khan fell, the celebration was on. Malik came over and made 11 fours and a six. This was no doubt one of the greatest ODI innings ever where Pakistan won by two wickets. 

To top it all

Ever since the partition of British India in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought major wars and have played numerous cricket matches that were highly competitive. The above-mentioned championships prove the caliber and expertise of both the teams and how they have outshined each other over the years.