Fans around the globe will be witnessing another blockbuster India vs Pakistan clash on February 23. The two teams will square off in match number 5 of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday. Lately, India and Pakistan have only been meeting at global ICC events and the Asia Cup due to sour political relations. Co-hosts Pakistan lost their Champions Trophy opener versus New Zealand by 60 runs in Karachi. On the other hand, Team India thrashed Bangladesh by six wickets a day later in Dubai.
Placed in Group A, a defeat for Pakistan will see them get knocked out of the tournament virtually. Pakistan will need to beat Bangladesh and hope the Tigers and India overcome New Zealand by big margins. The writing is on the wall for the Men in Green. On the other hand, a win for India will help them qualify for the semis.
The last time India and Pakistan met in the Champions Trophy was back in 2017, meeting each other in the final. Pakistan thrashed India in that match to win the trophy. Team India would now be looking to avenge that defeat and bring their A game into play against a nervous Pakistan side.
Both teams own an old rivalry in ODIs. In terms of the head-to-head record, the two sides have met each other 135 times, as per ESPNcricinfo. Pakistan have the edge, winning 73 times, whereas, India have claimed a total of 57 wins. 5 matches have not had results.
Meanwhile, there have been several on-field controversies when these two sides have met in the 50-over format. Heated moments, slurs, umpire interventions, words exchanged, and wild celebrations have all played their part. In this article, we pick 5 important controversies on-field that dictated the scenes in India vs Pakistan ODI matches over the years.
1992 World Cup – Javed Miandad incident
Javed Miandad, the former Pakistani cricketer who had the knack of getting under the skin of the opponents, made headlines during a match against India at the 1992 World Cup. It was when Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More’s over-the-top appeal appeared to have annoyed Miandad. The latter hopped like a kangaroo after completing a run, mimicking More’s appeals.
While commentators and fans found it funny, Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin looked visibly upset at Miandad’s antics.
Later on, during a YouTube interaction on The Curtly & Karishma Show, More said, “In Hindi, he was saying that, ‘Don’t worry, we will win this match easily’. And I said, ‘go to hell, we will win this match’. And there was an appeal down the leg-side off Sachin Tendulkar. I thought he was caught behind. I appealed, and Javed swore at me. I told him to shut up, he told me the same. Then, there was a run-out appeal when I jumped and whipped the stumps,” More said. “And he started imitating me. I gave it back to him. I covered my mouth with my gloves. That’s the time when the mike was used. Umpire David Shepherd came in and told Javed, if you do it again, I’ll send you out of the ground,” More added.
Notably, Pakistan lost the high-voltage clash by 43 runs.
1996 World Cup: Aamer Sohail and Venkatesh Prasad
The 1996 World Cup quarter-final witnessed another controversial moment when opener Aamer Sohail was leading Pakistan’s chase. After hitting Indian medium-pacer Venkatesh Prasad for a boundary, Sohail pointed his finger in the direction of the shot, a gesture interpreted as sledging. However, Prasad responded by dismissing Sohail on the next ball, derailing Pakistan’s chase and sparking a roar from the crowd. Prasad gave Sohail a send-off, which led to words being exchanged.
India went on to beat Pakistan by 39 runs in the quarters and reached the semis. The match was held at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. India scored 287/8, and Pakistan scored 248/9 in 49 overs. Sohail hit 55 from 46 balls, whereas Prasad took 3/45 from his 10 overs.
Inzamam-ul-Haq confrontation with a fan in 1997
In 1997, Pakistan’s normally calm Inzamam-ul-Haq made headlines after he confronted an Indian fan during a match in Toronto. The incident happened after the fan heckled Inzamam by chanting “Aloo” (Potato in Hindi), referring to his bulky physique. When the chants grew louder, Inzamam instructed a teammate to fetch a bat from the dressing room and tried confronting the heckler before security intervened. He was later reprimanded for the act.
Gambhir and Afridi’s heated exchange in 2007
Adding to the list of controversial moments was a heated exchange between India’s Gautam Gambhir and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi during a match in 2007. The incident started when Gambhir hit Afridi for a boundary, leading to a war of words that almost turned physical. The two collided on purpose between a run as well. Despite an on-field umpire’s intervention, their rivalry continued post-retirement with frequent online spats over cricket and politics.
Harbhajan’s decisive 6 in 2010 Asia Cup
Another major controversial moment was when Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh hit a match-winning six in the 2010 Asia Cup. This was after fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in the 2010 Asia Cup. After a dot ball from Akhtar, some sledging happened, which apparently inspired Harbhajan to hit the winning six in the last over off Mohammad Amir. Harbhajan celebrated wildly in front of Akhtar, who told him where to go. This incident was recently playfully re-enacted by both players on TV as part of a promotional video for the Champions Trophy.