Ahead of yet another Indo-Pak clash, it is worth looking back on when the contests started getting the sort of top billing they do today.
Till 1986 Indo-Pak cricket had the edge, but no needle.
Miandad’s Six Swung It
Since 1986, India’s battles against Pakistan in limited-overs cricket can be defined by two sixes. Interestingly both the sixes came off the bat of the two batting icons of the two sub-continental cricket giants. It was in 1986 when Javed Miandad snatched an improbable win at Sharjah with the now infamous six in the Australasia Cup final. Thereafter, Pakistan held sway over India in all limited-overs contests, except at the World Cups. So much so that when India beat Pakistan for the first time in five years since that six in Sharjah, it became an event to celebrate.
India could just not break the Pakistan jinx mainly because of the ‘Miandad effect’ and partly because of the fact that our neighbours were always a better side. In the 1990s, the hurt continued as Pakistan got better and India became dependent on one man, Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin’s Blast
It was no surprise then, that it required that same Tendulkar to release the hold Pakistan had on India with a shot that is etched in every fan’s mind – his slash over backward point off the pacy Shoaib Akhtar during the needle 2003 World Cup. At the time, India was playing Pakistan after nearly four years. A lot changed after that 2003 World Cup. In short, Tendulkar’s shot did more than what it was intended to.
Regain Self-Belief
Thereafter, except for three games in 2004, Pakistan has just not been able to regain the hold that they once had on India in limited-overs contests. Also in the same time frame, India has had better squads with the belief that they can get the better of Pakistan in contests. The Indian squads didn’t have much conviction when they took the field against Pakistan. But Tendulkar’s six changed it all.
The MSD Effect
The arrival of Mahendra Singh Dhoni then added a different dimension to Indian squads, because he was not affected by the Pakistan jinx. The wins over Pakistan in the 2007 World Twenty20 defined what was to become the hallmark of the Dhoni era.
Since then Pakistan has always threatened, except at the 2014 Asia Cup, but has never been able to reclaim the hold they had over India. In the same time, Indian squads had improved so much that Pakistan had a lot of catching up to do.
Hopefully, Pakistan will continue to play catch up with India.
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