T20 World Cup 2021: Top 5 controversial moments in India vs Pakistan clashes
India and Pakistan will kick off their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign by taking on each other in Match 16 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
India have a perfect record in World Cup campaigns against Pakistan. Be it the 50-over version or the T20 format, India have never gone down to their arch-rivals in a single World Cup match. Virat Kohli will be keen to keep the record intact when his men take on the Babar Azam-led outfit in Dubai.
In a pre-tournament chat with reference to the India-Pakistan clash, Azam had claimed that his team is confident of beating India since they are better accustomed to conditions in the UAE. As for Kohli, he stated that Team India aren’t taking any extra pressure and are treating the much-hyped game as a normal cricket match.
When tempers flared during India-Pakistan clashes
Expecting an India vs Pakistan cricket match without drama is akin to watching a soap opera minus all the unpredictable twists and turns. So, as India and Pakistan prepare for their latest battle, we look back at five controversial moments in encounters between the two teams.
#5 Harbhajan Singh vs Shoaib Akhtar (2010 Asia Cup)
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar were at each other during the closing moments of a tense clash during the 2010 Asia Cup. India were chasing 268 to win the contest and it was anybody’s game till the very end.
In the 47th over, Harbhajan smashed Akhtar for a six over wide long-on. The Rawalpindi Express clearly wasn’t pleased and targeted the Indian batter’s rib cage, bowling a few pacy bouncers. He also had some words of advice for Harbhajan, who swiftly gave it back to the Pakistan bowler.
Harbhajan had the last laugh as he walloped the penultimate ball of the game from Mohammad Amir over the ropes to take India past the finish line. He let out a huge roar and looked in the direction of Akhtar. The Pakistan bowler made a V sign and then waved his hand in irreverent fashion.
#4 Gautam Gambhir vs Kamran Akmal (2010 Asia Cup)
These days, Kamran Akmal is content being a cricket expert on his YouTube channel. Back in 2010, he was in the thick of things during the same India vs Pakistan Asia Cup encounter which witnessed the Harbhajan-Akhtar fracas.
Indian opener Gautam Gambhir was batting well, guiding the team’s chase of 268. However, he was irked by Akmal’s constant appealing behind the stumps. During a drinks break, Gambhir, who often got grumpy on the field, let the Pakistan keeper know that he wasn’t enjoying the noise emanating from behind the wickets.
Akmal stood his ground and the two players ended up having a staring battle. Before the situation snowballed out of hand, MS Dhoni and the umpires intervened to calm things down. Gambhir made a fine 83 before being bowled by Saeed Ajmal. He was named Player of the Match as India won the close contest by three wickets.