5 Sachin Tendulkar-Shoaib Akhtar battles we will never forget

#3 2004 Samsung Cup - 1st ODI

Akhtar celebrates after dismissing Tendulkar

As ever, cricketing tensions were high ahead of India’s tour to Pakistan in 2004, and Tendulkar and Akhtar were soon engaged in a conflict as the first ODI of the series got underway in Karachi. The Little Master was partnering Virender Sehwag at the top, and Shoaib was hurtling in at the pair of them from ball one.

Tendulkar looked to suffocate the pace early, clipping a ball sweetly off his legs and to the boundary for his first scoring shot of the day. Akhtar’s anger would have been enraged even further when Shoaib Malik dropped Sehwag soon after, but he only had himself to blame when Tendulkar was given a reprieve after being caught at leg because of a no ball.

A top-edge from Tendulkar went flying for six thanks to Shoaib’s speed, and four more were chalked up with a typically gorgeous punch down the ground. Akhtar had the last laugh, though. On the penultimate ball of the ninth over, Tendulkar drove through the covers for four, but an attempt of a slightly squarer shot off the following delivery was edged and caught by Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, ending the Indian right-hander’s breezy innings of 28.