In pictures: Five iconic moments from India-Pakistan clashes at the World Cup

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India and Pakistan have come face-to-face seven times in ICC Men’s World Cup cricket between 1992 and 2019, with India triumphing on all seven occasions. Ahead of the eighth contest in Ahmedabad on Saturday, My Kolkata goes down memory lane to relive five iconic moments from Indo-Pak matches at the World Cup, including ones made memorable by Virat Kohli, Javed Miandad and Sachin Tendulkar

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King Kohli takes over (2015): Aiming for six consecutive victories against the arch enemy on the grandest stage, a characteristically confident and flamboyant Virat Kohli took centre stage in Adelaide with a defiant century in the group tie against Pakistan, becoming the first Indian to score a 100 in the greatest rivalry in World Cups. After India had lost Rohit Sharma early, Kohli consolidated the innings with Shikhar Dhawan, before building another key partnership with Suresh Raina. India eventually managed 300 runs on a challenging wicket, with Virat playing sheet anchor with 107 off 126. A clinical bowling display ensured that India took the honours by 76 runs

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Fortune favours the Little Master (2011): Imagine dropping Sachin Tendulkar four times in the course of a single match, that too in the semi-final of a World Cup. That is exactly what Pakistan managed to do when they met India in Mohali, with the Prime Ministers of both countries in attendance. To add insult to Pakistan’s injury, Tendulkar also got a major reprieve with a DRS call after being adjudged LBW besides surviving the closest of close stumpings. In other words, there was nothing Pakistan could do to prevent Tendulkar from riding his luck en route to 85, which, combined with a late flourish from Raina, took India to 260. In response, Pakistan had little luck of their own, as they were bundled out for 231, notwithstanding a valiant 56 from Misbah-ul-Haq

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That Sachin six off Shoaib Akhtar (2003): Before Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed Nuwan Kulasekara into the Wankhede stands to seal India’s first World Cup in 28 years in 2011, there was one shot that stood head and shoulders above all else in India’s World Cup history. A shot that saw a furious short ball from Shoaib Akhtar in Centurion collide with the flashing blade of Tendulkar. The result was the most iconic six in Indo-Pak meetings since Miandad defined Chetan Sharma’s career with a last-ball maximum in 1986. Of course, Tendulkar’s six off Akhtar was just one of many stunning strokes he played during an explosive 98 runs off 75 balls, with 18 of them coming from a single over of Akhtar. Such magnificence was enough to help India chase down 274 for another famous win

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Ajay Jadeja’s fireworks and a sensational staredown (1996): When India and Pakistan faced off in the quarter-final in Bengaluru, sparks flew. Batting first, India put on a formidable 287 runs on the board. A solid 93 from Navjot Singh Sidhu set an ideal foundation, before it rained boundaries as Jadeja raced to 45 off just 25 balls. The most brutal part of Jadeja’s onslaught involved hitting Waqar Younis for 23 runs before being dismissed, all in one over. In pursuit, Pakistan had got off to a flyer, when Aamer Sohail stared down Venkatesh Prasad, pointing his bat in the direction of the boundary. Having hit a four through extra-cover, Sohail was indicating a repetition, but found his stumps knocked back by Prasad, with a bouquet of expletives completing the send-off

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Javed Miandad’s hilarious antics (1992): Few players had a penchant for the theatrical quite like Miandad, who brought his antics to the fore in the very first Indo-Pak World Cup encounter in Sydney. All out for 216 on a slow surface, India had reduced Pakistan to 85 for two when something bizarre took place in the 25th over of the second innings. Following some bickering with an animated Kiran More behind the stumps, Miandad failed to complete a run, came back to the striker’s end and, in a hilarious act of imitation, jumped thrice to mimic More’s excessive appealing. Even though Miandad’s comedy had everyone in splits, it was India who had the last laugh, going on to win the match by 43 runs