India vs Pakistan: Top five Test battles

As India gets ready to play their 500th Test match, we take a look at some of their most unforgettable encounters with Pakistan, their biggest rivals.

1999 Delhi Test

Indian spin legend Anil Kumble made history by becoming only the second bowler in history to take all 10 wickets in the Pakistan second innings. Pakistan, chasing 420 to win, collapsed in spectacular fashion as India won that Test by 212 runs.

Scores: India beat Pakistan by 212 runs.

India first innings: 252 all out (S Ramesh 60, Mohammad Azharuddin 67; Saqlain Mushtaq 5/94); India second innings 339 all out (S Ramesh 96, Sourav Ganguly 62, Javagal Srinath 49; Saqlain Mushtaq 5/122, Wasim Akram 3/43). Pakistan first innings 172 all out (Shahid Afridi 32, Saleem Malik 31; Anil Kumble 4/75, Harbhajan Singh 3/30) and Pakistan second innings 207 all out (Saeed Anwar 69, Shahid Afridi 41; Anil Kumble 10/74).

1987 Bangalore Test

Spinners were spitting venom on a wicket that tormented batsmen from both teams. It was a low-scoring game and Pakistan won by 16 runs. But they were given a mighty scare by Sunil Gavaskar who played a gem of an innings (96) in the last Test of his glorious career. The next highest scorer in the Indian innings was Mr Extras (27)!

Scores: Pakistan beat India by 16 runs.

Pakistan first innings: 116 all out (Saleem Malik 33; Maninder Singh 7/27). Pakistan second innings 249 all out (Rameez Raja 47, Imran Khan 39, Saleem Yousuf 41 not out, Saleem Malik 33; Ravi Shastri 4/69, Maninder Singh 3/99). India first innings: 145 all out (Dileep Vengsarkar 50; Iqbal Qasim 5/48, Tauseef Ahmed 5/54) and India second innings 204 all out (Sunil Gavaskar 96; Iqbal Qasim 4/73, Tauseef Ahmed 4/85).

1999 Kolkata Test

This Test match made Shoaib Akhtar a superstar. His two consecutive yorkers that uprooted the middle stump and the leg stump of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar silenced 100,000 people at the Eden Gardens. Pakistan won that match by 46 runs, but it was Shoaib Akhtar who hit the headlines.

Scores: Pakistan beat India 46 runs.

Pakistan first innings: 185 all out (Moin Khan 70, Wasim Akram 38; Javagal Srinath 5/46). Pakistan second innings 316 all out (Saeed Anwar 188, Yousuf Youhana 56; Javagal Srinath 8/86). India first innings 223 all out (S Ramesh 79, Rahul Dravid 24; Shoaib Akhtar 4/71, Wasim Akram 3/65) and India second innings 232 all out (VVS Laxman 67, S Ramesh 40; Shoaib Akhtar 4/47, Saqlain Mushtaq 3/69)

1999 Chennai Test

It was a classic India-Pakistan encounter. Needing 271 to win on the final day, India lost wickets at regular intervals. But they were still on the threshold of victory, thanks to a batting masterpiece from Sachin Tendulkar (136). But after Tendulkar fell to the excellent Saqlain Mustaq, Pakistan finished off the job in stunning style. Wasim Akram's men even took a victory lap after the sporting Chennai crowd gave them a heartwarming ovation. "That was one of the greatest moments in my career. The Chennai crowd that day was amazing," Wasim Akram told Khaleej Times last year in an interview.

Scores: Pakistan beat India by 12 runs.

Pakistan first innings 238 all out (Moin Khan 60, Yousuf Youhana 53; Anil Kumble 7/60, Javagal Srinath 3/63). Pakistan second innings 286 all out (Shahid Afridi 141, Inzamam-ul Haq 51; Venkatesh Prasad 6/33). India first innings 254 (Sourav Ganguly 54, Rahul Dravid 53, S Ramesh 43; Saqlain Mushtaq 5/94; Shahid Afridi 3/31) and India second innings: 258 all out (Sachin Tendulkar 136, Nayan Mongia 52; Saqlain Mushtaq 5/93; Wasim Akram 3/80).

2004 Rawalpindi Test

It was the decider of that historic series in Pakistan after India had won the first Test in Multan and Pakistan won the second in Lahore. After the Balaji-led Indian bowlers restricted the Pakistanis to 224 in their first innings, Rahul Dravid made a magnificent 270 to make sure India didn't have to bat again. Their bowlers then gave India their first ever Test series win on Pakistan soil.

Scores: India won by an innings and 131 runs.

Pakistan first innings: 224 all out (Mohammad Sami 49; L Balaji 4/63). Pakistan second innings: 245 all out (Asim Kamal 60, Yousuf Youhana 48; Anil Kumble 4/47; L Balaji 3/108). India first innings 600 all out (Rahul Dravid 270, Sourav Ganguly 77, VVS laxman 71, Parthiv Patel 69; Shoaib Akhtar 3/47).