The highly anticipated India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is renowned for producing intriguing anecdotes. When the Indian cricket team, led by Rohit Sharma, faces Pakistan in the upcoming ODI World Cup on October 15, it is expected that more captivating incidents will be added to the folklore. While players from both sides generally share a cordial relationship, there have been instances where tensions have escalated.

Mind games have often been a part of these encounters, leading to intriguing incidents on the field. Former Pakistan fast bowler Rana Naved Ul Hasan shared one such incident involving Virender Sehwag.

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“I will tell you an incident. There was a match where Sehwag was playing on 85. I am talking about the 2004-05 series which we won going there. I was the player of the tournament. The series was such that we were trailing 2-0. It was a best-of-five series. In the third match of the series, Sehwag was hitting big. They almost scored 300 and Sehwag was nearing 85. I asked Inzy bhai to give me the ball. I bowled a slow bouncer,” recounted Rana Naved Ul Hasan during the Nadir Ali Podcast.

“I went up to him and said, ‘You don’t know how to play. Had you been in Pakistan, I don’t think you would have ever made it to the international team.’ He said a few things back to me. On my way back, I told Inzi bhai, ‘Next ball, he is getting out.’ He was surprised. I bowled a back-of-the-hand slower ball, and an infuriated Sehwag tried to hit it big but holed out. The wicket was so important that we won that match. These are certain tricks of the fast bowler.”

However, it is important to note that there are some factual discrepancies in Naved’s statement. Although Naved was named the player of the series with 15 wickets, the series was a six-match one, not five. Pakistan emerged victorious, winning the series 4-2 after losing the first two games. It is likely that the match Naved is referring to is the second ODI in Visakhapatnam, which India won.

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Virender Sehwag was batting on 74 off 40 balls when Naved dismissed him. However, Pakistan ultimately lost that game by 58 runs. The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is known for its intensity and intriguing moments, and as the teams prepare to clash in the upcoming World Cup, fans eagerly await the next chapter in this storied rivalry.