OTD | Mohammad Azharuddin’s 101 went in vain as Aamer Sohail’s 97 helped Pakistan register a 4-1 victory against India in Sahara Friendship Cup 1998 

In the 5th ODI between India and Pakistan in 1998, Mohammad Azharuddin’s century went in vain when Pakistan won the game by five wickets. The game started with India winning the toss and choosing to bat first. Sachin Tendulkar scored 77 runs off 109 balls, including nine boundaries. He played a brilliant knock and tried to help India get to a respectable total. However, apart from Azharuddin’s 101 runs off 111 balls and Sachin’s half-century, none of the other batters went past the 20-run mark. 

Pakistan’s bowling attack was extremely strong, as they dismantled the entire batting without giving away many runs. India could only score 256 runs in 50 overs. Saqlain Mushtaq claimed four wickets, while Azhar Mahmood and Aamer Sohail claimed two wickets each. The bowling was extremely brilliant throughout the series, which helped them claim the series 4-1. 

When Pakistan came into bat, India got an early wicket in the form of Shahid Afridi, who got out cheaply for 10 runs. However, Saeed Anwar and skipper Aamer Sohail ensured they took the game past the victory line. Anwar scored 83 runs off 94 balls including ten boundaries while Sohail scored an unbeaten 97 runs off 125 balls, including seven boundaries and three huge sixes. 

India’s Javagal Srinath tried dismantling the Pakistan batting lineup but couldn’t do much. He claimed three wickets, while Sunil Joshi took two wickets. Post that, the bowlers got smashed by the set batters but couldn’t dismiss them. It was a disappointing series for India as they could only win one game out of five. After the series, all the players received a lot of backlash from the crowd and the critics. 

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