India-Pakistan Cricket Rivalry | The Most Controversial Moments

The history between India and Pakistan dates back to the 1950s.  Following both nations' independence and separation, their competition began to intensify rapidly.  Because of the parallels on several levels, this sparked.  To get the most out of the players, a healthy on-field rivalry is therefore employed.  They are more eager to contribute to their teams.

 They have an unmatched drive and desire to succeed. If the players were vanquished, the crowd would expect them to be severely humiliated. Additionally, if they prevailed, they would receive a king-like honour. Therefore, these contests always contain a heroic moment.

Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, things spiral out of control. Players become agitated and actively participate in fights. Fortunately, the situation has remained on the field. If it doesn't become personal, they all take it in stride.

Let's take a look at three such incidents:

1. Aamir Sohail and Venkatesh Prasad

The 1996 Cricket World Cup quarterfinal between India and Pakistan took place in Bengaluru.  Pakistan had a great start as they chased a massive 288-run target.  At one point, Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar, the openers, were both dominating the scoring at nine runs per over.  Despite Saeed Anwar's dismissal, Sohail continued to be active. 

 Venkatesh Prasad then arrived from the opposite end.  Sohail charged down to hit through the gaps after he pitched this one a little higher in the off-stump line.  Prasad was on his follow-through when Sohail approached him as soon as the ball struck the ropes through the covers.  Prasad indicated that he belonged at the boundary by pointing to it. 

With the ball in possession, Prasad moved in and revved up.  He tricked Sohail with his bowling and uprooted the off stumps in the very next ball.  A highly unusual move from Prasad, the crowd erupted in cheers as soon as he said Sohail farewell with enthusiasm.  Every time they see a memorable moment of the India-Pakistan rivalry, supporters immerse themselves in this video clip, which is still widely shared on social media.

2. Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar

Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar, the two most feisty men in Pakistan and India, were both involved in this event.  That incident occurred in 2010 during an Asia Cup game in Sri Lanka.   Pakistan set India a challenging target of 268 runs.  To remain competitive in the competition, India also needed to win this game.

 At one point, India was cruising smoothly as they pursued the target.  It looked like a difficult ask for the remaining batters to come and try to go as close to the mark as they could after Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni were dismissed despite having some significant time in the middle.  Remarkably, India's lower order maintained composure and won the game.

Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan's speedster, arrived to bowl the penultimate over at the significant-finish of the innings.  He faced off against Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina.  Raina needed seven runs off eight balls, and Harbhajan was attempting to get him on strike.  Harbhajan was unable to get a single, though, as Shoaib chose to hit the hard lengths and both deliveries were over-the-shoulder bumpers.

 It was at this point that Akhtar and Harbhajan began arguing verbally.  A fire was lit inside Harbhajan after this, and he told Akhtar that he would beat him out of the park. To secure the win for Team India, Harbhajan Singh hit a six over the deep mid-wicket area in the final over.  Now that they remember this exchange, they both experience happy moments. 

3. Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi 

Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian opener, is notorious for fighting with his teammates on the field.  The opener, who was a key player in India's last two World Cup victories, comes across as a fiery individual.  Shahid Afridi of Pakistan is also.  As the all-around player that he was, Afridi was often in the news for several reasons.

 During the bilateral series, one of the events involving these two cricketers occurred.  Pakistan went to India for the series back in 2007.  Gambhir scored a boundary off Afridi's bowling in the third game of the ODI series and spoke some foul language.  

Despite Afridi's initial lack of reaction to the provocation, they eventually collided when Gambhir attempted to sneak a single.  As a result, throughout the game, there was a verbal altercation between these two game mainstays.

 The match officials had to step in to keep them apart as things began to get violent.  Following the game, the referee submitted a report to the International Cricket Council (ICC) about the problem, and severe disciplinary measures were implemented.  Gambhir was forced to pay 65% of his match money as a punishment, whereas Afridi was penalized 95% of his match fees.