India v Pakistan cricket classics: Jadeja, Prasad and a Bangalore epic

NEW DELHI: Sunday's ICC Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston will be the first between India and Pakistan since 2008, and the first time the two storied rivals will clash at the summit of an ICC-organised ODI event. Prior to this, the only times they have met in an ICC final was the 2007 World Twenty20, when MS Dhoni's fledgling team won an epic in Johannesburg.
Ahead of Sunday's blockbuster, TOI Sports recaps some India v Pakistan ODI classics.
Part I: Saeed Anwar's Chennai blitzkrieg
In our second instalment, we look back at March 9, 1996 when India beat Pakistan in the World Cup quarter-finals in Bangalore.
These two arch-rivals had failed to make it to the final in 1987, and in 1996 fans on both sides of the border were served up a mouth-watering knockout clash in a quarter-final at Bangalore's M Chinnaswamy Stadiyum. It was the showpiece event of the 1996 edition, and 35,000 fans were treated to a ripper. It had everything: controversy, with Pakistan captain Wasim Akram ruling himself out at the last minute, high-voltage tension, fine batting from both sides, and a little bit of spice thrown in.
The first passage that few will ever forget was Ajay Jadeja's 25-ball 45. India, through Navjot Singh Sidhu's battling 93, were 168/2 but the run rate was hardly four and a half an over. Then Jadeja came to the fore, smashing the bowlers around the park and fuelling the lower order to ransack 51 off the last three overs. Jadeja's onslaught against Waqar Younis was electric, especially the way in which he pulled him with disdain, and the latter's final two overs cost 40 runs.
Later in the evening, Saeed Anwar and stand-in-captain Aamer Sohail were threatening an early finish with some breath-taking batting, thumping 84 off the first ten overs. Even as Anwar departed, Sohail continued to tear into the attack.

Having celebrated a rapid half-century with a rasping boundary past extra-cover, Sohail openly ridiculed Venkatesh Prasad as if to say 'Go fetch that'. However, the bowler had the final laugh - and adjoining send-off - when on the very next delivery Sohail swung across the line and had his off stump pegged back. 'Go home you f****n bastard' was Prasad's riposte and the Chinnaswamy Stadium erupted in a tumultuous din on realizing that it was a pivotal moment.