ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2013: India vs Pakistan Match, The traditional rivalry and passions unleashed
The Champions Trophy 2013 cricket match between Pakistan and India can claim to be a continuation of the world’s greatest sporting rivalry.
It is as if all the feelings of the New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox rivalry in baseball, Barcelona vs. Real Madrid in soccer and England vs. Australia in any sport had been distilled and deepened with an extra dose of hostile geopolitics and the passions of 1.4 million people.
After losing both their matches in Group B, Pakistan have been eliminated from the tournament and are sitting at a shambolic fourth spot in points table. With nothing but pride to play for, Misbah's men will try to resurrect their image with a win over their traditional foe.
The Dhoni brigade, currently one of the front-runners to lift the Trophy this year - will be up against their arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday. Team India's neighbours have had a rather disappointing tournament than one would have expected.
India - Pakistan Rivalry:
The extent of India-Pakistan rivalry can be assessed with the fact that an India-Pakistan cricket match has been estimated to attract up to three hundred million television viewers - according to a TV ratings firm. The 2011 World Cup semi-final had attracted around 1.5 billion TV viewers, the largest television event of the year.
The arch-rival relations between the two states, resulting from the extensive communal violence & conflict that marked the partition of India in 1947 and the independence of Pakistan, laid the foundations for the emergence of an intense sporting rivalry between the two nations who had erstwhile shared a common cricketing heritage.
Important Stats:
- Pakistan have won 12 games against India's nine out of 59 Test matches alongside 38 draws.
- India have won 49 games against Pakistan's tally of 71 out of 124 one-day internationals alongside 4 draws.
- Out of 5 Twenty20s, India have won four games against Pakistan's one win alongside a draw.
- Team India have two World Cup titles to their name against Pakistan's single triumph.
- India were declared the joint winners of ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 alongside Sri Lanka after the rain washed out the final.
- Both India and Pakistan have won the ICC World T20 titles on one occasion.
- During their last meeting in the Champions Trophy, Pakistan won by 54 runs against India.
- Virender Sehwag's 309 for India in 2004 and Javed Miandad's 280* for Pakistan in 1983 are the highest score in an innings against each other.
- Anil Kumble's 10/74 for India in 1999 and Imran Khan's 8/60 for Pakistan in 1982 are the best bowling figures in an innings against the two teams.
- India's Kapil Dev(99) and Pakistan's Imran Khan(94) are the highest wicket-takers in Indo-Pak matches.
- Pakistan's Saeed Anwar holds the record for the highest individual score in an Indo-Pak match with his knock of 194 in 1997, followed by India's Virat Kohli who slammed 183 in 2012.
