Even in their World Cup triumph of 1992, Pakistan failed to beat India. So, when the two teams came face to face four years later in the 1996 World Cup, the men in green were eager to settle scores. A victory would not only give Pakistan their first World cup victory against India but also secure its place in the semi-finals of the tournament.
So what happened on March 9, 1996, when the two star-studded teams took on each other at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium?
With the toss going in his favour, Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin did not even blink before opting to bat first. Eyeing a big first inning total, the Indian openers Sachin Tendulkar and Navjot Sidhu took India off to a slow but stable start.
Facing the fierce Pakistan pace lineup, the duo put up a 90-run opening stand before Sachin Tendulkar was cleaned up by Ata-ur-Rehman in the 22nd over. Batting at number three, Sanjay Manjrekar stitched a partnership of 48 runs before he was also sent back to the pavilion. Meanwhile, Sidhu held the Indian innings together from one end and was cruising his way to a well-deserved hundred. But before Sidhu could add a century to his name, Mushtaq Ahmed packed him back to pavilions at the score of 93.
Subsequent Indian batters got off to good starts but struggled in turning it into a big total. Thanks to a crucial 25-ball 45 by Ajay Jadeja in the middle order, the Indian team finished their innings with 287 runs on board.
In reply, Pakistan got off to a great start with skipper Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar launching a blistering attack on the Indian bowlers. While Anwar fell in the 11th over after scoring a quickfire 48 off 32 balls, Sohail continued the attack from the other end.
But then came one of the most iconic dismissals in cricketing history as Ventatesh Prasad cleaned Sohail up after being hit by a boundary on the previous ball.
The Pakistani batting could not get over the jolts thereafter. While Saleem Malik and Javed Miandad tried giving some stability in the middle overs, Pakistan was eventually restricted to 248 for 9 in their 50 overs. Bengaluru boys Anil Kumble and Prasad finished the game with 3 wickets each as India marched their way to the semi-finals.
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