CWC History: India vs Pakistan rivalry, top 3 World Cup clashes
India versus Pakistan is the biggest rivalry in world cricket. The sport, more often than not, has suffered due to the political tensions between the two nations. Both teams have cut off cricketing ties and haven't played any bilateral series against each other since 2012-13. The lack of bilateral series between the two nations have made their matches in ICC tournaments more enthralling.
Players from both countries have often talked about the kind pressure they are under, while playing these matches. The fans do not settle for anything less than a win and implications of a defeat is huge. India versus Pakistan has always been one of the most looked forward match of the ICC World Cup. As a result of the hype and the pressure of expectations, India and Pakistan have produced some of the most memorable World Cup contests. Pakistan have tried hard but is yet to defeat India in a World Cup match. It remains to be seen if they can manage that when they take on India on 16th June at Old Trafford.
Here are the top three World Cup clashes involving arch-rivals India and Pakistan.
#3 2003 World Cup, Centurion
In the 2003 World Cup, India and Pakistan clashed in a Group A match at Centurion. Batting first, riding on a brilliant century by Saeed Anwar, Pakistan put on a challenging total of 273 runs on the board. What followed was a rear guard action by the Indian batsmen. Virender Sehwag started the innings in a typical fashion scoring 21 runs off just 14 balls. However, Waqar Younis brought Pakistan back in the game by dismissing Sehwag and Saurav Ganguly in back-to-back deliveries. This did not deter Sachin Tendulkar who played some spectacular shots and raced away to a fifty. Mohammad Kaif played an important hand of 35 runs. Sachin fell just two short of his hundred before putting India in a commanding position. Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh put on an unbeaten partnership of 99 runs and helped India register an emphatic victory.