Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 8 (ANI): Ahead of the high-octane ICC T20 World Cup clash between India and Pakistan, former Indian cricketer Navjyot Singh Sidhu recalled his best memory from this rivalry, when he was named as the ‘Player of the Match’ during their encounter in 1996 Cricket World Cup.
The highly-anticipated T20 World Cup Group A clash between India and Pakistan will take place on Sunday at New York’s Nassau County International Stadium. Having secured a comprehensive win against Ireland, India will be riding high on confidence and winning momentum. However, Pakistan on the other hand will be aiming to overcome the blues from defeat to co-hosts and World Cup debutants USA by defeating their biggest rival in the sport.
Speaking at a special ‘Star Sports Press Room’ organised in New York ahead of the match, Navjot Singh Sidhu shared his views on the India versus Pakistan match, saying, “I used to think that if I wanted to be a hero, this was my chance. I believed that if I played well against Pakistan, the fans would forget all my bad innings. There were many opportunities. Chetan Sharma would often remind me that he had taken a hat-trick and claimed 200 wickets. But wherever I went, people only mentioned the time Javed Miandad hit me for a six. This incident highlights the psychological impact of India-Pakistan matches. No one can escape it. My best memory is when I was named Man of the Match against Pakistan. This sentiment is shared by everyone. Sometimes, it makes you sad, but you cannot avoid it. This intense rivalry, this love and clash, is what makes India-Pakistan matches so captivating.”
In the 1996 WC match at Bengaluru, Sidhu scored 93 in 115 balls, with 11 fours, to guide India to 287/8 in 50 overs. India restricted Pakistan to just 248/9 in reply, winning the game by 39 runs. Sidhu was given the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his knock.
Against Pakistan in 28 ODIs, Sidhu made 876 runs in 25 innings at an average of 34.48, with two centuries and four half-centuries and best score of 108. In four Tests and seven innings against Pakistan, Sidhu scored 269 runs at an average of 38.43, with three half-centuries. His best score was 97.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj. Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan. (ANI)
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HINDI, MARATHI, GUJARATI, TAMIL, TELUGU, BENGALI, KANNADA, ORIYA, PUNJABI, URDU, MALAYALAM
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