India vs Pakistan in Sri Lanka: Top 5 most iconic games featuring Virat Kohli and Shoaib Akhtar

When it comes to India vs Pakistan matches, Sri Lanka have played host to some of the most dramatic chapters in the cricketing rivalry. Be it the hot conditions of Colombo or the scenic intensity of Dambulla, these encounters have defined careers and fueled a billion dreams while really living up to the billing of an India-Pakistan match.

Though the intensity has died down a bit in the recent past, here are the top five clashes between India and Pakistan on Sri Lankan soil. Will the one on February 15 feature in this list, only time will tell.

2010: Harbhajan-Akhtar feud that lit up Dambulla

Perhaps the most “volatile” finish in Asia Cup history. In a tense chase of 268, the game boiled over when Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar exchanged heated words in the penultimate over. With 3 runs needed off 2 balls, Harbhajan smashed Mohammad Amir for a colossal six over mid-wicket, letting out a roar directed straight at a dejected Akhtar.

2023: The Kohli and Rahul’s innings that created history in Colombo

A match played over two days due to rain, this Asia Cup Super 4 clash saw India record its biggest-ever ODI win over Pakistan (228 runs). Virat Kohli (122*) and KL Rahul (111*) put on an unbeaten 233-run stand, followed by Kuldeep Yadav’s magical 5-wicket haul that dismantled the Pakistani lineup for just 128.

2004: Shoaib Malik and the one-man show

Long before he became a veteran of the game, a young Shoaib Malik stunned India at the R. Premadasa Stadium. Malik’s magnificent 143 off 127 balls propelled Pakistan to 300. Despite a fighting 78 from Sachin Tendulkar, India fell 59 runs short, marking one of Pakistan’s most clinical performances in Sri Lanka.

2004: In Sehwag we trust: All-Round heroics of the Nawab of Najafgarh

In the same 2004 tournament, the two met again in a must-win game for India. This time, Virender Sehwag took center stage. After anchoring the chase with a brisk 81, he had earlier chipped in with 3 crucial wickets with his off-spin. India edged out Pakistan by 4 runs in a nail-biting finish that swung like a pendulum until the final ball.

2012: Balaji: The bowler that Pakistan feared, even 8 years later

In their first T20 World Cup meeting on Sri Lankan soil, India’s “Super 8” clash was all about Laxmipathy Balaji and Virat Kohli. Balaji, name synonymous with Pakistan since his heroics of the 2004 tour, starred with a three-wicket haul in this game too. Kohli picked up a wicket in this match, it was that of a star Pakistani batter, Mohammad Hafeez.

His unbeaten 78 to chase down a target of 129 with ease, was the showstopper though. This match cemented India’s psychological edge over Pakistan in ICC T20 events.