A contest with history

Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket, 1984-85, Final, Melbourne
India won by eight wickets

Venkatesh Prasad dismissed Aamer Sohail in the 1996 World Cup after the batsman sledged him © Getty Images

This was the first high-profile ODI clash between the two teams. India entered the final as favourites, having bowled out every opposition team till then. Three-wicket hauls from Kapil Dev and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan helped India restrict Pakistan to a below-par 176 for 9. Kris Srikkanth and the Man-of-the-Series Ravi Shastri scored contrasting half-centuries to take India home with six overs to spare.

World Cup, 1992, Sydney
India won by 43 runs

This was the first World Cup encounter between the two. In conditions that aided swing and seam movement, India overcame a very slow start to reach 216 for 7. Srikkanth played an uncharacteristic innings, batting out 40 balls for five runs, before Sachin Tendulkar hit a counter-attacking fifty and Kapil made a breezy 35 to give the bowlers a total to defend. Pakistan's reply was built on an 88-run partnership between Javed Miandad and Aamer Sohail but Tendulkar broke the partnership, dismissing Sohail for 62. That turned the match - Pakistan crumbled as the asking run-rate spiralled up and Javagal Srinath sealed their fate with a yorker that cleaned up Miandad.

World Cup quarter-final, 1996, Bangalore
India won by 39 runs

There was controversy even before the start, with Pakistan captain Wasim Akram pulling out at the last minute. Navjot Singh Sidhu laid the foundation for India with 93 before Ajay Jadeja set the stadium ablaze with a brutal 25-ball 45, including 40 from the final two overs by Waqar Younis, to catapult India to 287. Pakistan came up with a stunning riposte with Saeed Anwar and Sohail thumping 84 in the first 10 overs. Anwar fell at that score but Sohail continued to shred the opening bowlers till a verbal joust with Venkatesh Prasad did him, and Pakistan, in. After hitting a boundary to extra-cover fence, he openly lampooned Prasad, pointing to the region with the bat. But when Sohail tried to repeat the slash off the next ball he was bowled by a charged-up Prasad who gave Sohail a verbal send-off. India went on to complete a famous win. Incidentally, this was Miandad's last international game.

World Cup, fourth Super Sixes match, 1999, Manchester
India won by 47 runs

India and Pakistan squared off during a time when the armies of both countries were engaged in a stand-off over Kashmir. Fears were raised to a great levels and security was incredibly intense. Against that backdrop, fans of both sides came together in tumult to cheer their heroes on. There was much flag-waving, whistle-blowing and drum-beating, creating a passionate atmosphere. Tendulkar dominated the start after India opted to bat, passing 8,000 one-day international runs, but the batting did not quite click thereafter. Mohammad Azharuddin was left to construct the innings, and he added 60 in nine overs with Robin Singh to get India to 227.

In reply, Saeed Anwar began with with six hurried fours even as Javagal Srinath chipped away at his partners. But it was that man Prasad again, bowling accurately and with good movement, to finish with 5 for 27. Sample his victims: Salim Malik, Anwar, Moin Khan, for an explosive 34 in 37 balls, Inzamam-ul-Haq, unusually subdued for 30 overs, and Wasim Akram, the captain. It all added up to a third successive victory over Pakistan, with Azharuddin winning all of the three India - Pakistan matches he'd captained in World Cup history.

World Cup 2003, Centurion
India won by six wickets

Anwar guided Pakistan to a daunting 273 with a dogged hundred but an awe-inspiring 98 from Tendulkar helped India romp home to a memorable win. Tendulkar dismantled the bowling attack with shots all around the ground and in particular, took apart Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar with some clinical hitting. He stitched together a 102-run partnership with Mohammad Kaif to help India win with more than four overs to spare.

Champions Trophy 2004, Edgbaston
Pakistan won by three wickets

Pakistan broke the jinx of losing to India in what would be the last encounter between the two sides in a major tournament before the World Twenty20. English conditions in late September meant nine of the 15 matches were won by the team chasing. Inzamam-ul-Haq won the crucial toss at Edgbaston and put India in. Shoaib Akhtar and Naved-ul-Hasan shared eight wickets as India were bowled out for 200. Irfan Pathan gave India a shot at reaching the semi-final when he reduced Pakistan to 27 for 3 in 11 overs. But Inzamam and Mohammad Yousuf's calm 75-run partnership steadied Pakistan's nerves. Yousuf was unbeaten on 81 as Pakistan reached the target with four balls to spare.

ICC World Twenty20, 2007, Durban
Match tied, India won on bowl-out

Views remain divided as to the virtues of having a bowl-out in the 20-over format, but when India and Pakistan met for the first time in the inagural ICC World Twenty20 it was another classic. Ultimately India's players held their nerve to win an extraordinary encounter, taking the game 3-0 in a bowl-out to beat Pakistan and seal their place in the Super Eights after their group match ended in a thrilling tie. India were reeling after Mohammad Asif took 4 for 18 but Robin Uthappa (50) helped set Pakistan 142 to win in Durban. Misbah-ul-Haq made a brilliant 53 from 37 balls even as Pakistan lost three wickets for three runs and Pakistan, who had already qualified, needed one to win off the last ball. However, Misbah could not manage it off Sreesanth's last ball and was run out to set up the dramatic bowl-out to decide the winner. India's first three all hit the stumps but Pakistan's top three all missed. Few could have predicted this thriller, but once again it was India would had trumped Pakistan in a major world tournament.