Sports are enthralling, igniting the most profound interest in fans. Rivals in existing sports often fuel this passion. There are so many iconic rivalries to speak about in sports, elevating the excitement to another level. In football, we have Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona in the El Classico, Manchester United vs. Liverpool, and Federer vs. Nadal in Tennis. In cricket, there is friction between England and Australia, but amongst many of these rivalries, the oldest one stands out from the oldest of times, and there is no other rivalry more fierce or iconic than the India vs. Pakistan cricket rivalry. The two countries with the most extensive political histories and the most significant fan bases are disbursing themselves against each other.
India vs Pakistan Head-to-Head
| Format | Matches | India Won | Pakistan Won | Draw/Tie/NR |
| Test | 59 | 9 | 12 | 38 |
| ODI | 135 | 57 | 73 | 5 |
| T20I | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 207 | 75 | 88 | 44 |
India vs Pakistan in World Cups Matches
| Tournament | Matches | India won | Pakistan won | Draw/Tie/NR |
| ODI World Cup | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| T20 World Cup | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 16 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
India vs Pakistan Stats
India vs Pakistan in Tests
- Highest team total in a Test Innings: Pakistan scored 699/5 against India in the third Test at Lahore in 1989/90.
- Lowest team total in a Test Innings: Pakistan bowled India out for 106 in the second Test at Lucknow in 1952/53.
- Highest individual score in Tests: India opener Virender Sehwag scored 309 against Pakistan in the first Test at Multan in 2004.
- Best bowling figures in Tests: India’s Anil Kumble picked up 10/74 against Pakistan in the second innings of the second Test at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi in 1999.
India vs Pakistan in ODIs
- Highest team total in ODIs: India posted 356/9 in the second ODI against Pakistan at Vizag in 2004/05. India also posted 356/2 against Pakistan in the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup.
- Lowest team total in ODIs: Pakistan bowled India out for 79 in the second ODI at Sialkot in 1978/79.
- Highest individual score in ODIs: Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar scored 194 against India in the sixth ODI of the Independence Cup at Chennai in 1997.
- Best bowling figures in ODIs: Aaqib Javed of Pakistan scored 7/37 against India in the final Wills Trophy at Sharjah in 1991.
India vs Pakistan in T20Is
- India and Pakistan created history by becoming the first two countries to reach the final of the inaugural ICC World T20 event in South Africa in 2007. The two sides also engaged in a bowl-out during a group stage match at the mega event in Durban.
- Highest team total in T20Is: India scored 192/5 against Pakistan in the second T20I at Ahmedabad in 2012.
- Lowest team total in T20Is: India bowled Pakistan out for 83 in the fourth T20I at Dhaka during the Asia Cup in 2016.
- Highest individual score in T20Is: Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 79 against India during the Super 12 match of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is the highest individual score by any batter in Indo-Pak contests.
- Best bowling figures in T20Is: Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif picked up 4/18 against India in the 10th match of the 2007 T20 World Cup at Durban.
The History of India – Pakistan Cricket Rivalry
This history is deeply intertwined with the two nations’ complex historical, political, and cultural relationship. The turbulent events of the Partition of British India in 1947, from which India and Pakistan emerged as distinct nations, often saw tensions among these nations spill over onto the cricket pitch.
The first cricket match between India and Pakistan took place in 1952. Since then, history has been written, as the game has become one of the worst rivalries in the sporting world. Although Indians and Pakistanis share a common heritage in cricket, this rivalry today has also grown due to historical animosity and warfare between the nations.
Therefore, despite it being a ground for the fans of both nations to gather under one roof in support of their national teams, there have been instances where relations between the two countries were utterly battered because of their political situations.
The Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971 and the Kargil War of 1999, along with the terror attacks in 2008 Mumbai, have posed a challenge to cricketing relationships between India and Pakistan, as quite several matches between these two countries were called off by the adverse effects of these wars and attacks on their relations.
Despite these interruptions, Indian vs. Pakistani cricket matches have often been seen as a medium through which diplomatic tensions could be eased, if only temporarily. Matches between India and Pakistan have attracted tremendous coverage from fans on both sides of the border, indicating that sports do the work of transcending boundaries.
India Pakistan ODI World Cup History
Since 1975, there have only been 8 India vs Pakistan matches in the Cricket World Cup history. For the first time, within the CWC 1992, the two sides crossed swords where the Pakistan team would lift their very first WC trophy for history. Though they have won the World Cup, not even one match has happened where Pak has beaten India in an ODI World Cup Match. Let’s relive the best Ind vs Pak World Cup matches:
1992 World Cup – India won by 43 runs
This time, India and Pakistan crossed each other’s path at a World Cup. This was in Sydney, Australia, for the first time, where the Indians could score 216/7; of this score, the bat of Sachin Tendulkar remained unconquered at 54, and Imran Khan of Pakistan got out on zero. Sachin snatched away Aamer Sohail’s wicket within the crucial ten overs and remained Pakistan’s leading scorer. Eventually, the Indian Cricket Team emerged victorious with 43 runs.
1996 World Cup – India won by 39 runs
The I996 Ind vs Pak World Cup match is remembered for that send-off by Venkatesh Prasad to Aamer Sohail, who had gestured with his bat towards the boundary line after hitting Prasad for two consecutive fours. While chasing a target of 288, Pakistan made a good start, reaching 84 in the initial 10 overs. But India gradually clawed its way back and ensured that Pakistani batsmen didn’t settle. Pakistan then lost their last wicket to see the innings close at 248/9, losing by 39 runs. India won to seal their deal at 2-0 in World Cup matches against Pakistan.
1999 World Cup – India won by 47 runs
Venkatesh Prasad was a vital man for India during their WC match against arch-rivals at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester in 1999. Prasad proved crucial while bowling medium-pace deliveries in swinging conditions, ending up with impressive figures of 5/27.
2003 World Cup – India won by 6 wickets (Sachin’s Masterclass)
It is one of the most crucial times, a highly-watched match between India and Pakistan in Centurion, South Africa. India wins the toss and opt for bowling first. They contained Pakistan at 273/7. Shoaib Akhtar began string-picking wickets early, but there was no counter to Sachin’s class, which he produced that day. By making an outstanding 98, The God of Cricket initiated and led India’s run chase. Finally, the Men in Blue won, with 6 wickets and 26 balls to spare.
2011 World Cup Semi-Final – India won by 29 runs
Hosting the 2011 ICC CWC, India had always been a favorite for taking home the trophy. In the semis, they were up against their arch-rivals, Pakistan. Under charged conditions at Mohali, India continued its dominance over Pakistan in the World Cup. On being put into bat, India set a towering 260/9 against a stern target, thanks mainly to Sachin Tendulkar’s classy 85 and Suresh Raina’s useful knock of 36 runs. Misbah-ul-Haq tried hard to score 56 but Pakistan’s chase came 29 runs short as India made their opponents lose by dismissing them for a mere 231. It propelled India into the final, from where it secured the World Cup.
2015 World Cup – India won by 76 runs (Virat Kohli Century)
India extended their winning streak over Pakistan at the 2015 ODI World Cup, this time at the Adelaide Cricket Ground. Chasing a tough total of 301 runs, India could see a brilliant century from Virat Kohli. Regular wicket losses did not let Pakistan make a successful chase, and they faced the blow of being all out to 224 runs. India saw through to a tall 76-run win and continued to strengthen their dominance over this rivalry.
2019 World Cup – India won by 89 runs
This is the 7th time both arch-rivals clashed in World Cup history. Old Trafford saw India confirm their supremacy over Pakistan again, greatly affected by rain on this day. Batting first, India put up a competitive score of 336/5, with Rohit Sharma gallant knock of 140 runs being the highlight. The rain break worked against Pakistan’s target, ending up with only 212/6 for them as they could not afford to go past the margin of 89 runs.
2023 World Cup – The Biggest Match Ever
The 8th and last match in Ind vs Pak World Cup history was the 2023 CWC at the world’s most considerable cricket ground, the Narendra Modi Stadium. Going into the match with lots of context attached to the buildup, including things that the Pakistan team did not want to play at this venue due to the political reasoning involved and the pre-match ceremonies, which many said were unnecessary, this was a highly anticipated match.
The Pakistan batting first made a great start through their captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan batting well in the order. But, India, the favorites of the tournament, bowled off Pak’s batting lineup after picking up quick wickets from 155 – 2 to restrict them to 191 in 42.5 overs. Captain Rohit Sharma led the run chase scoring a blistering 86 off 63 balls and making the India vs Pakistan World Cup history record 8-0 to India.
India – Pakistan T20 World Cup History
The first time was in the T20 World Cup held in 2007. It was a young Indian team with MS Dhoni leading against Misbah ul Haq’s Pakistan side. The match ended in a draw where the men in blue won it in a bowl out. They again faced each other in the final of the same event. The India vs Pakistan Final of the 2007 T20 World Cup went down to the wire, and India, keeping it their calm, went on to win the inaugural T20 World Cup.
This dominance continued for the next 13 years. India won every encounter in the T20 World Cup. But Pakistan broke this jinx in 2021 by eating the men in blue for the first time. It could be their first-ever win over India in any World Cup format. And thus, under the leadership of Babar Azam, they finally convincingly beat India by 10 wickets, causing waves across the cricketing world.
The Overall Record – India vs Pakistan
Pakistan and India have fought a total of 206 battles in history. Pakistan emerged successful in 88 battles, whereas India won 74. What comes as a surprise is that Pakistan is stronger in Test matches and ODIs, while India is stronger in T20 Internationals. Regarding twelve games, India has emerged victorious eight times against Pakistan three times.
The two have always fought the World Cups as Pakistan never won against India in the 31 years they competed against each other in this famous tournament.
But in the Champions Trophy, Pakistan has fared well, winning three of five matches. In the last match of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, they beat India. In the same tournament, they lost the first match of the group stages against India. The victory made it the second ICC final contest between the two teams after they had played each other back in the T20 final in 2007.
Conclusion
One of the greatest rivalries in cricket history is this one. There can never be a decrease in energy and passion in cricket when India is up against Pakistan. For the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York, it is now reported that tickets for the game between India and Pakistan was being sold on illegal websites for about Rs. 1.5 Crore. This shows just how crazy people are to watch this game, and this certainly makes it one of the fiercest sporting rivalries ever.
FAQs about India vs Pakistan Rivalry
Ans. As of 2024, the both two teams have played 207 matches, with Pakistan winning 88 and India winning 75.
Ans. India has a better record than Pakistan in the World Cup and T20 World Cup. India has won 8 out of the last 9 matches against Pakistan in the ODI World Cup and 5 out of 6 in T20 World Cup matches.
Ans. Ans- Pakistan has won more matches than India in Test matches and one-day internationals, but India has won more T20 matches:
Test matches: Pakistan has won 12 matches, while India has won 9.
ODI matches: Pakistan has won 73 matches, while India has won 56.
T20 matches: India has won 9 games, while Pakistan has won 3.
Ans. India and Pakistan have played each other in 135 ODI matches. Of these, India has won 57, whereas Pakistan has won 73.
Ans. India’s biggest win against Pakistan came when Pakistan’s chase ended at a mere 128 runs, handing India a thumping 228-run victory.
