Watch: At Sharjah in the 1985 Rothmans Four-Nations Cup, India were bowled out for 125 but still won the match by skittling out Pakistan for 87.

India were coming into the four-nation tournament after winning the Benson & Hedges World Championship in Australia, where they had beaten Pakistan twice, including once in the final.

Yet here, Pakistan seemed set to avenge that. Imran Khan led the way, claiming Ravi Shastri – fresh from winning the Audi in Australia – first ball, taking the first five wickets as India were left reeling at 34-5. Mohammad Azharuddin (47) and Kapil Dev (30) put up a resistance, but Imran returned, and India were bowled out for 125.

Imran finished with 6-14, at that point the best figures by a Pakistani and the joint second-best in ODI history. Despite the outcome, he was named the Player of the Match.

India were bowled out in 42.4 overs, which meant that the already long lunch break was now extended to an hour and a half. As everyone was busy congratulating the Pakistanis on a certain win, the Indians fell asleep.

“The lunch break was the most astonishing I have ever encountered. No one wanted to eat. As if on command every member lay down and went to sleep. Yes, it sounds funny but that’s just what happened,” recalled Kapil in By God’s Decree.

“I firmly believe that our snooze helped us considerably. Not only did we wake up feeling refreshed and thinking our dismissal was a bad dream but we were saved of the brooding and worrying had we been awake,” wrote Sunil Gavaskar in One Day Wonders.

Mohinder Amarnath hit the stumps with a direct hit to run out Mohsin Khan early, but at 35-1, with Mudassar Nazar and Ramiz Raja well set, Pakistan seemed set for a quick win.

Then the collapse began. Roger Binny and Ravi Shastri struck, L Sivaramakrishnan got two quick wickets, and suddenly Pakistan were 41-5. Ramiz and Saleem Malik pushed the score to 74, and at 85-6 Pakistan still had a chance.

But once Ramiz fell for 27, the tail caved in. Kapil, the newly appointed captain, finished with 3-17, while former captain Gavaskar held four catches.

Scores lower than 125 have been defended since then, but none of them in full-length matches. India made 105 and bowled out Bangladesh for 58 in 2014, but that was in a 41-over match.

Watch the shortest full-length ODI here: