Looking back, April 18 will mark 40 years since Javed Miandad’s legendary six broke a billion Indian hearts. In the nail-biting Austral-Asia Cup final in Sharjah, Pakistan needed just four runs off the last ball of a 50-over match. With sheer brilliance, Miandad, then on 110, smashed Chetan Sharma’s low full-toss over deep midwicket, securing a dramatic one-wicket victory.
That iconic shot didn’t just haunt the young Indian pacer, Chetan Sharma, for years despite his later successes; it profoundly influenced the dynamic between India and Pakistan for the next decade and a half. Prior to that game, India held a slight edge with eight wins against Pakistan’s seven in sixteen One-Day Internationals.
Miandad’s sensational triumph in Sharjah ignited a golden era for Pakistan. From that moment until the year 2000, the formidable Pakistani side dominated India, securing 44 victories while suffering only 21 defeats in 68 ODIs.
Fast forward to today, and the tables have completely turned over the last two decades. India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, after a commanding six-wicket victory against Pakistan in an Asia Cup Super Four match on Sunday, confidently stated that the “rivalry” simply doesn’t exist anymore. It’s worth remembering that even during Pakistan’s stronghold in the 90s, the competitive spirit remained vibrant due to India’s consistent wins in ODI World Cup encounters.
With a slight smirk, Suryakumar shared his candid thoughts with the media: “For me, a rivalry implies teams playing 15-20 matches with a close head-to-head record, like 7-7 or 8-7. That’s when you see truly great cricket. But with records like 13-0 or 10-1, I don’t even know the exact statistics anymore. This isn’t a rivalry.”
The statistics undeniably support his statement. Since their five-wicket defeat in the 2022 Asia Cup, India has secured an impressive seven consecutive victories against Pakistan in white-ball cricket. In T20 Internationals, India has triumphed in 12 out of 15 matches since their inaugural clash in 2007, with Pakistan only winning three. Furthermore, in One-Day Internationals since 2003, India boasts 29 wins in 51 games, including crucial World Cup encounters, highlighting their complete domination.
Beyond the raw numbers, a more concerning sign of Pakistan’s dwindling talent pool is the absence of exciting individual contests that once defined these matchups. On Sunday, Salman Agha’s team put up a somewhat improved performance, reaching 171 for five, which appeared to give the Shaheen Afridi-led bowling attack a glimmer of hope.
However, India’s opening pair, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, swiftly dismantled the target. Their brilliant 105-run partnership saw them unleash a stunning array of shots, making a mockery of Pakistan’s total. As boundaries and sixes flowed effortlessly from the bats of these close friends, it became clear that Miandad’s legendary six from decades past had finally been relegated to a mere historical footnote.