Game for cricket: Indo-Pak encounters

New Delhi, July 16 -- The ice between two cricket boards has melted with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announcing on Monday that Pakistan will play three One-Day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals in December-January. The announcement of revival of cricketing ties between India and Pakistan has not gone down well with former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who has questioned its timing, but former Pakistani players have given it a huge thumbs up. The two countries last played in a bilateral series in 2007-08. Emotions run high for the players in an Indo-Pak game. The 2011 World Cup semi-final was a one-off game. Now, the players will be geared up for the challenge once again. We take a look at ten India-Pakistan face-offs that best showcase the neighbours sporting rivalry. 1985 - Melbourne India defeated Pakistan in the final of the World Series Cricket tournament final, where Kapil Dev took two wickets off successive deliveries to undermine Pakistan's batting before India coolly chased down the target. 1986 - Bangalore After five drawn Tests in India, Sunil Gavaskar's sensational 96 on a minefield of a Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch went in vain as Pakistan spinner Iqbal Qasim and Tauseef Ahmed sealed the series-clinching win. Pakistan won the series 1-0. 1986 - Sharjah Javed Miandad sealed the Asia Cup ODI series final with a legendary last-ball six off Chetan Sharma. 1997 - Chennai Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar smashed a then world record 194 to help clinch victory. Rahul Dravid's maiden ODI ton proved inadequate as India fell well short of the victory target. 1999 - Chennai Despite Sachin Tendulkar's batting heroics, Pakistan pulled off a narrow victory in the 1st Test of the series. There were political tensions between the countries and the Ferozshah Kotla pitch had been dug up - allegedly by a certain religious outfit - forcing the first Test to be moved to Chennai. The MA Chidambaram stadium fans gave a standing ovation to the Pakistan players, who took out a victory lap. 1999 - Delhi The second Test of the series was memorable for Anil Kumble capturing all 10 wickets in the second innings at Ferozshah Kotla - only the second bowler to achieve the feat in Test history (England spinner Jim Laker was the first) - to bowl India to a series-levelling win. 1999 - Kolkata Pakistan won this Asian Test series match in an empty Eden Gardens stadium after the police was forced to evict rioting fans. Trouble started after Sachin Tendulkar was controversially run out, after he appeared to be blocked by bowler Shoaib Akhtar on his follow through. This after Javagal Srinath's superb bowling had given India the early advantage. 2003 - Centurion Sachin Tendulkar upper cut Shoaib Akhtar over third man for six, scoring 98, to steer India to a brilliant win in this Sourav Ganguly-led World Cup. 2004 - Multan Virender Sehwag made India's first Test tour of Pakistan in over 14 years memorable by smashing the first triple century by an Indian batsman. Irfan Pathan's hattrick followed by Anil Kumble's six-wicket haul in the second innings sealed victory, paving the way for India's maiden Test series win in Pakistan. 2011 - Mohali For sheer pressure, the World Cup semifinal had all ingredients of an India-Pakistan cricket clash. Tendulkar top-scored again, after Pakistan dropped him four times, as India clinched victory on their way to regaining the World Cup.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.