‘Excruciating’: The impact of india's victory over pakistan in the cricket world cup
former cricketers assert that every time pakistan suffers a loss to india in the icc cricket world cup, it elicits a furious reaction from pakistani fans.
a photograph of a pakistani cricket fan shows their reaction to shahid afridi's dismissal in the pakistani-india icc cricket world cup semi-final on march 30, 2011.
the clash between india and pakistan in the icc cricket world cup is renowned for being cricket's most intense rivalry. millions of fans tune in to witness this spectacle, which triggers exuberant celebrations in victory and heated accusations in defeat. however, in their encounters at the world cup, only one team has emerged victorious.
since their first meeting in sydney in 1992, india has triumphed over pakistan on all seven occasions they have faced off in the tournament. this streak is one that babar azam's team hopes to end when they meet the hosts in ahmedabad on saturday.
what contributes to india's success? is it sheer luck? have the indians been more fortunate, having won five out of the seven coin tosses? or does pakistan succumb to pressure more easily?
"we have played seven games, and our neighboring country reminds us every second day about the 7-0," shares pakistan legend wasim akram.
"to be honest, i cannot pinpoint one reason for this losing streak."
from sydney to manchester
inzamam-ul-haq, who experienced defeat on four occasions representing pakistan, believes that pressure has played a significant role.
"perhaps india managed the pressure better than us on match days, and winning most of the tosses also gave them an advantage," he suggests.
even when pakistan won the toss twice, fortune did not favor them. they were outshined by sachin tendulkar's brilliance during the chase in centurion, south africa, in 2003, and by rohit sharma in manchester in 2019 when india was sent in to bat.
the loss in the 2019 tournament resulted in sarfaraz ahmed being stripped of the captaincy.
due to the peculiarity of the tournament's format, pakistan and india never faced each other in the first four world cups. in 1987, when both countries co-hosted the event, they were expected to meet in the final, but both faltered in the semi-finals.
their first encounter transpired in 1992 in sydney. it was a low-scoring affair that is remembered for pakistan's javed miandad comically mimicking india's wicketkeeper, kiran more, through a series of jumps. pakistan failed to chase a modest total of 217 runs, losing by 43 runs.
nevertheless, that defeat was soon forgotten when imran khan's team mounted a remarkable recovery to claim their first and only 50-over world cup title.
'it was excruciating'
four years later, pakistan suffered another defeat, this time by 39 runs in india's backyard in bangalore.
the loss triggered a furious backlash back home, with allegations even emerging that skipper wasim akram had feigned injury.
"it was excruciating," recalls akram. "no one could digest that defeat, and we had to return home under strict security, unable to leave our houses for days."
in the 1999 world cup, akram and his team were subjected to a match-fixing investigation after losing by 47 runs to india and suffering a shocking defeat against bangladesh. despite it all, they managed to finish as runners-up.
despite boasting an intimidating pace attack featuring akram, waqar younis, and shoaib akhtar, pakistan succumbed to a six-wicket loss against india in their 2003 world cup encounter.
another high-stakes semifinal in 2011 went india's way, with a 29-run victory in mohali. this match was watched from the stands by the respective prime ministers of india, manmohan singh, and pakistan, yousuf raza gillani.
"to be honest, i don't know the reason behind our consistent losses," admits shahid afridi, the captain in 2011.
"we performed admirably to reach the semifinals but faltered in mohali. i heard some absurd allegations, but it was a matter of respect, and as captain, i urged my players to give their best."
a packed stadium in adelaide witnessed virat kohli's century overpower pakistan by 76 runs in the 2015 world cup.
in 2019, pakistan fell short once again, this time in manchester, losing by 83 runs in a match affected by rain.
so, will it be eighth-time lucky for pakistan as they revive their rivalry with india in ahmedabad at this world cup?
"that jinx will be broken someday, and the current pakistan team is capable of achieving that," declares akram.
"we broke the twenty20 world cup jinx after five defeats in 2021 in dubai, so the 50-over jinx can also be shattered."
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