5 Indian cricketers who played really well against Pakistan
India and Pakistan have more often than not dished out some hard-fought encounters. The pressure of the crowd and the occasion often gets the better of the players. However, there have been some cricketers who have thrived in such situations.
These world-class cricketers have always liked playing in pressure situations and that is probably what brought the best out of them. The longevity with which these players have performed, especially against Pakistan, has simply been sensational.
On that note, let's take a look at five such players from the Men in Blue who have always brought their A-game to the table whenever they faced Pakistan:
#5 Virat Kohli
Today In 2016
@imVkohli scored unbeaten 55* runs & IND defeated Pakistan by 6 wickets in T20WC!
Kohli bows down to Sachin Tendulkar after Scoring Half Century!
"I have seen Sachin paaji do that for India for years together and seen how people shout for him (1/2) https://t.co/GzaJejNmDA
Arguably one of the best batters in the modern era, Virat Kohli once threatened to break quite a few records of Sachin Tendulkar with the kind of form that he was in over the past decade.
Although he hasn't scored a hundred since 2019, that doesn't take anything away from the fact that he has made significant contributions many times against Pakistan. His career-best ODI score of 183 also came against the same opposition in the 2012 Asia Cup.
Kohli also showed his class when India faced Pakistan twice in 2016. In the Asia Cup that year, Mohammad Amir wreaked havoc with the new ball, despite India needing just 84 runs to win. But Kohli's knock of 49 was so crucial that he received the Player of the Match award.
The same year, in the T20 World Cup, Kohli was once again the Player of the Tournament and one of his best performances came against Pakistan at a packed Eden Gardens. His half-century in a rather tricky chase showed that he was truly a big match player.
Another couple of examples of Kohli performing against Pakistan on the big stage are his second World Cup century in 2015 at Adelaide and his handy knock of 77 in the 2019 World Cup.
#4 Rohit Sharma
#OnThisDay in 2019
India Defeated Pakistan In WC for 7th Consecutive time!
Rohit Sharma Scored 140 (This Is Highest Score by any Opener against PAK in WC)
Rahul 57, Rohit 140, Kohli 77
(This Is Only WC match, When Top 3 Players Scored 50+ Scores against PAK) https://t.co/rwThrPqjxs
One of the main reasons why the Indian team has dominated white-ball cricket over the last decade is because of the rise of Rohit Sharma at the top of the order. Since starting to open regularly for India from the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, Rohit hasn't looked back.
His numbers against arch-rivals Pakistan in ODIs are incredible. In 16 matches, he has scored 720 runs at a staggering average of 51.42 with two hundreds and six half-centuries to his name.
Rohit's sensational 140(113) against Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup remains one of the most dominant knocks played by an Indian against their arch-rivals on the biggest stage.
#3 Rahul Dravid
296 Indians Played Test Cricket
Among them, Dravid only Indian to play a Test inning for more than 12hrs (740mnts, 270 vs Pak)
Happy Birthday Rahul Dravid! https://t.co/UMqsy0BhTZ
Rahul Dravid still remains the only captain to help India win a Test series on Pakistan soil back in 2004. He played a crucial role with the bat in that series and his iconic 270 at Rawalpindi is still one of the best knocks played by an Indian on Pakistan soil.
In 15 Tests, Dravid has scored 1236 runs at a fantastic average of 53.73 with as many as five hundreds to his name. He was definitely one of the most reliable batters for India during his time, especially against Pakistan.
Even in ODIs, the legendary batter played some handy knocks against Pakistan. One of the unsung knocks that comes to mind is when he strung a crucial partnership with Yuvraj Singh to help India beat Pakistan at the 2003 World Cup.
#2 Virender Sehwag
SEHWAG 309
Happy birthday legend!
The first Indian to score a triple century
Slaughtered Pakistan to shreds https://t.co/90rUTjfpOZ
If ever an Indian batter instilled fear in the minds of Pakistan bowlers, it was Virender Sehwag. The man had the ability to fight fire with fire when it came to facing the ferocious pace of Shoaib Akhtar and Co.
His 309 in Multan is still regarded as one of the best Test knocks ever played by an opener. He also had that incredible opening partnership of 410 with Rahul Dravid against Pakistan in 2006.
In just nine Tests, Sehwag scored a staggering 1276 runs, at a ridiculous average of 91.14 with four tons to his name. India still have not been able to and might never produce another attacking opener like Virender Sehwag, especially in Tests.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar
#OnThisDay in 1/3/2003
@sachin_rt played one of the Finest ODI Innings, He Scored 98 (75) against Pakistan in 2003WC
This is Only WC match, When both Akhtar, Waqar Conceded 70+ runs
vs Akhtar - 22 (12), 183 SR
vs Waqar - 27 (13), 208 SR https://t.co/O4wwrjNKI5
Regarded as the God of cricket, there shouldn't be any surprise that Sachin Tendulkar has made the list, having been the Indian with the most runs scored against Pakistan across formats.
In 18 Tests against Pakistan, he scored 1057 runs at an average of 42.28 with two centuries and a highest score of 194* in Multan in that famous 2004 series.
Tendulkar has also scored 2526 runs in 69 ODIs against Pakistan and has five centuries to his name. But his knock of 98 against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup is considered by many as his finest against this opposition.
The Little Master kept the bowling attack of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar at bay and made things easier for his team in what could have been a steep chase. His knock of 85 against Pakistan in the 2011 World Cup semifinals was also special, as it turned out to be the difference between the two teams.