India and Pakistan have one of the most intense rivalries in the world of cricket. Whenever these two teams face each other, the emotions run high on and off the field. Sometimes, the passion and the pressure also lead to some heated arguments and confrontations between the players. With fans set to witness high-octane IND vs PAK clash in World Cup 2023, here are the top five biggest fights that have happened in India vs Pakistan cricket matches.
5. Gautam Gambhir vs Kamran Akmal, Asia Cup 2010
The fifth spot goes to the verbal spat between Gautam Gambhir and Kamran Akmal during the Asia Cup in 2010. The incident occurred when Gambhir was batting and Akmal was keeping wickets. Akmal appealed loudly for a caught behind, which was turned down by the umpire. Gambhir was not pleased with Akmal’s excessive appeal and asked him to calm down. Akmal retorted by saying that Gambhir should focus on his batting instead of talking. The two players exchanged some harsh words and had to be separated by the umpire and other players.
However, years later, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper opened up about the feud and called it a “misunderstanding”.
“Things heated up a bit with Gautam Gambhir during the 2010 Asia Cup but it was all due to misunderstandings. He is a very good friend. We have played a lot of ‘A’ cricket together” said Akmal.
4. Kiran More vs Javed Miandad, 1992 WC
The fourth spot goes to the hilarious encounter between Kiran More and Javed Miandad during the World Cup match in 1992. More, who was the Indian wicketkeeper, was trying to distract Miandad by constantly appealing and chirping behind the stumps. Miandad lost his cool and complained to the umpire about More’s antics. When that did not work, he decided to mock More by jumping up and down like a frog on the pitch. The gesture amused the crowd but annoyed More.
“Javed is a good friend of mine. But that match, we were playing for the first time in the World Cup in 1992. So there was a lot of build-up from India and everywhere. It was not packed, but the crowd was making a lot of noise and we were under pressure. It was difficult for us to go back to India,” More said on Youtube’s The Curtly & Karishma Show.
3. Harbhajan Singh vs Shoaib Akhtar, Asia Cup 2010
Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar’s fiery clash during the Asia Cup match in 2010 is still fresh in cricket fans’ minds. India were chasing a target of 268 runs and needed 16 runs off the last two overs with Suresh Raina and Harbhajan at the crease. Akhtar bowled a bouncer to Harbhajan, who missed it and got hit on the helmet. Akhtar then walked up to Harbhajan and said something to him, which triggered a heated exchange between the two players. The umpire had to intervene and calm them down. Harbhajan had the last laugh as he hit a six off Mohammad Amir in the final over to seal the victory for India.
Reacting to the incident a decade later, Shoaib Akhtar said he was furious with Harbhajan and had gone to the hotel to pick up a fight with the Indian spinner.
“I went looking for Harbhajan Singh in the hotel room to fight with him. He eats with us, roams around with us in Lahore, culture is similar to us, he is a Punjabi brother and yet he will misbehave with us? I thought I will go and fight with him in the hotel room. He knew that Shoaib was coming. But I couldn’t find him. I calmed down the next day and he had also apologised,” said Shoaib Akhtar in a video interview on Helo app.
2. Aamir Sohail vs Venkatesh Prasad, 1996 WC
The second spot goes to the epic showdown between Aamir Sohail and Venkatesh Prasad during the World Cup quarter-final match in 1996. Pakistan was chasing a target of 288 runs and Sohail was batting well along with Saeed Anwar. Sohail hit Prasad for a boundary and then pointed his bat toward the off-side boundary, indicating that he would hit him there again. Prasad responded by bowling a perfect off-cutter that knocked off Sohail’s off-stump. Prasad then gave Sohail a fiery send-off by gesturing him to go back to the pavilion. The dismissal turned the tide in India’s favour as they went on to win the match by 39 runs.
Reminiscing the on-field tussle Prasad said, “He [Sohail] should’ve just gone back to his crease probably after getting that, but there was some exchange of words and a gesture that he made which didn’t really go well. Obviously, with the entire nation and spectators who were watching, and of course, with me as well. My blood was really boiling and we needed a wicket.”
1. Gautam Gambhir vs Shahid Afridi, 2007
The most intense fight in an IND vs PAK clash happened between Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi during the third ODI of Pakistan’s tour of India in 2007. Gambhir hit Afridi for a boundary and then stared at him. On the next ball, Gambhir ran a single but collided with Afridi on his way to the crease. The two players started arguing with each other and almost came to blows before the umpire and other players intervened. The fight added more spice to an already thrilling match, which India won by two runs.
Since then, the duo has been going at each other off the field. Recently, Afridi was asked whether he could provoke Gambhir a lot during his playing days. The former all-rounder said, “These things go on cricket. It’s normal. And I feel it has been more hyped up in social media. Woh different kisam ka character hain, aam players se thoda alag hain (He has a different character from that of normal players). His reputation is the same in Team India as well. It is not like it was only with me…he…I feel we should discuss more positive things in this show,” Afridi said on the show ‘Had Kar Di’ with Momin Saqib.
