India vs Pakistan: Greatest Cricket Rivalry In World

The cricket rivalry of India vs Pakistan is one of the most heated in the World. The rivalry between India and Pakistan is well-known for its severity. It is recognized as one of the world’s most important matches and one of the most watched sporting events. It is called “El Clásico” of Cricket.

The tense relationship between the two nations, which arose as a result of bitter diplomatic relationships and conflict during British India’s partition into India and Pakistan in 1947, the Indo-Pakistani Wars, and the Kashmir dispute, provided the framework for the formation of a heated athletic rivalry between the two cricket-loving nations.

India vs Pakistan match first happened when Pakistan toured India in 1952. Since then, both sides have played tests and, later, limited overs series, however a number of scheduled tours have been cancelled or postponed owing to political concerns. Due to two major conflicts in 1965 and 1971, as well as the 1999 Kargil War, no cricket was played between the two countries between 1962 and 1977, and the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks have disrupted cricketing connections between the two nations. Following each terrorist assault in India, it was found that the attacks were plotted by Pakistan, the ISI, and terrorist organizations based in Pakistan.

The growth of large expert populations from both countries around the world led to neutral venues hosting bilateral and multilateral One Day International (ODI) series between India and Pakistan, and the teams meet at International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments. Tickets for international India vs Pakistan matches always remains in high demand, with over 800,000 applications for tickets submitted for the 2019 Cricket World Cup game between the two sides; the television broadcast of the event was watched by 273 million viewers.

Both team’s players are routinely under enormous pressure to win and are threatened with severe reactions in defeat. Extreme fan reactions to defeats in important matches have been documented, with just a minor degree of hooliganism. Simultaneously, India vs Pakistan match have provided opportunities for cricket diplomacy as a means of enhancing bilateral relations by allowing heads of state to exchange visits and cricket fans from one country to travel to the other to witness the matches.

The History of the India vs Pakistan Cricket Rivalry

The partition of British India in 1947, which resulted in the formation of independent Indian and Pakistani states, was marked by deadly struggle between ethnic groups, which resulted in the deaths of one million people and the mass migration of an estimated ten million people to the nation of their choice. The legacy of Partition and subsequent territorial battles has contributed in the establishment of strong competition in field hockey, association football, and, especially, cricket, which was founded during British colonial control and is the most popular sport in both countries.

Pakistan joined the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1948 and became a Full Member in July 1952. Later same year, on their tour of India, the team played their first Test matches. They lost the first Test to India in Delhi, but won the second in Lucknow, eliciting an angry reaction from the home fans against the Indian players. India won the Test series after winning the third India vs Pakistan in Bombay, although the high pressure impacted both teams’ players to the point where they followed primarily defensive tactics, resulting in drawn matches and a series without a victory.

When India toured Pakistan in 1955, thousands of Indian supporters were allowed passports to attend the India vs Pakistan Test match in the Pakistani city of Lahore, however both the 1955 series and Pakistan’s 1961 tour of India ended in draws, with neither team winning a single Test match. Complaints regarding umpire fairness grew common.

Role of Politics in holding India vs Pakistan Cricket Competitions

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the following War of 1971 halted bilateral matches until 1978, when India toured Pakistan and bilateral cricket resumed for a brief while. Politics became a direct element in the holding of cricketing competitions after 1971. Following terrorist acts or other conflicts, India has stopped cricketing ties with Pakistan multiple times. Cricketing ties resumed in 1978, coinciding with the advent of leaders of government in both India and Pakistan who were not personally involved in the 1971 war, and coincided with their formal initiatives to normalize bilateral relations.

Following a period of hostility during the Operation Brasstacks war games, Pakistani President Zia-ul-Haq was invited to see the India-Pakistan Test match in the Indian city of Jaipur. This type of cricket diplomacy has occurred on multiple occasions. Pakistan toured India in 1979, however due to the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, an Indian tour of Pakistan in 1984 was canceled midway through the series.

During the late 1980s and most of the 1990s, India and Pakistan met only in neutral sites such as Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and Toronto in Canada, where big crowds of expatriates often attended matches between the sides. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the series between Canadian teams was officially known as the “Friendship Cup.” Despite being a neutral location, Sharjah was dubbed the “backyard of Pakistan” due to the team’s close vicinity and huge support.

Multinational Events Supporting India vs Pakistan Matches

The rise of multinational events such as the Cricket World Cup, ICC T20 World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy, Austral-Asia Cup, and Asia Cup resulted in more frequent, albeit shorter, clashes between the two teams.

The Pakistani side toured India for a series of Test matches and One Day Internationals in 1999, directly following Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s historic visit to Pakistan. Later in the year, the Kargil War heightened tensions between the two countries, and cricket was once again banned. Following Vajpayee’s 2003 peace gesture, India visited Pakistan for the first time in nearly 15 years. Following exchange tours in 2005 and 2006, the 2008 Mumbai attacks forced India to cancel its planned tour of Pakistan in 2009, as well as all future commitments in Pakistan. Since then, India has refused to play any type of series against Pakistan.

The 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team in Lahore resulted in the suspension of international tours to Pakistan, with no Test series played in the country for a decade, and Pakistan was dropped as a co-host for the 2011 Cricket World Cup, which was to be held across the Indian subcontinent. India and Pakistan qualified for the tournament’s inaugural semi-final, and the Indian government invited Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to attend the game with his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh.

In December 2012, the BCCI invited the Pakistan national squad to tour India for three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and two Twenty-20 Internationals (T20Is). The Pakistan Cricket Board stated in June 2014 that an agreement had been struck to play six bilateral series over an eight-year period. The boards were unable to achieve an agreement after protracted negotiations involving offers and counter-offers on venues and the scheduling of the first of these series in December 2015. In May 2017, the BCCI stated that a bilateral series would require consent from the Indian government. Despite the fact that members of both boards met in Dubai to discuss the situation, no more progress was made.

200th international India vs Pakistan match happened in October 2021, at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Pakistan won the match by 10 wickets, the first time Pakistan had beaten India in a Cricket World Cup or T20 World Cup match in 13 attempts.

All time India vs Pakistan Matches Summary

Both teams have played a total of 203 times. Pakistan has won 88 games versus India’s 72 triumphs. Pakistan has won more India vs Pakistan Test and ODI matches than India, while India has won eight of the twelve T20 Internationals India Pakistan Match.

Summary of ICC India vs Pakistan Tournaments

India has a better record in ICC events, with Pakistan recording its first ever World Cup victory over India during the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Pakistan, on the other hand, has won three of the five India vs Pakistan matches between the two sides in the Champions Trophy, including the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy Final. The two teams have played in an ICC final before, with India winning the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 Final in South Africa.

Summary India vs Pakistan ACC Tournaments

India vs Pakistan Asia Cup match have happened 17 times, including once in 2016 when the competition was played in a Twenty20 format. India has won nine of these meetings, compared to Pakistan’s seven, with one India Pakistan Asia cup match ending in a tie in 1987 due to rain and poor lighting.

Number of ICC Tournaments Won By India and Pakistan

The two countries have competed in World Cups, the Champions Trophy, and the World Test Championship, all of which are organized by the International Cricket Council, the world’s governing body of cricket. In men’s cricket, India has twice won the ICC Cricket World Cup, a competition in which teams compete in One Day International cricket, and Pakistan has once. Each team has won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup once, with India taking the title in the first edition of the competition in 2007.

India won the ICC Champions Trophy, another ODI competition, twice, albeit the 2002 final was washed out twice and they shared the trophy with Sri Lanka. The 2017 edition was won by Pakistan, who defeated India in the final. Neither side has won the World Test Championship, while India finished second in the inaugural event, which concluded in 2021.

In women’s cricket, neither nation has won the Women’s Cricket World Cup or the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, while India has been a beaten finalist in both the Cricket World Cup and the T20 World Cup twice.

Number of ACC tournaments Won By India And Pakistan

Overall India vs Pakistan Test match results

Between India and Pakistan, fifteen Test series have been played, as well as a one-off Test in February 1999 as part of the Asian Test Championship. India has hosted eight of the series’ 32 matches, as well as a one-off match in 1999. Pakistan has hosted seven series, including 26 home matches. Each side has four series victories, but Pakistan has won more IND vs PAK Test matches than India in bilateral matchups.

Overall IND vs PAK ODI match results

India and Pakistan have played 17 One-Day International (ODI) series. Six of these series have been held in India, while Pakistan has hosted seven. Three IND vs PAK ODI series were played in neutral venues, three in Canada between 1996 and 1998, and one in the United Arab Emirates in 2006. Pakistan has won 11 games in the series, while India has won five. The two-match IND vs PAK series in the UAE ended in a stalemate, with each club winning one match.

Overall IND vs PAK T20I match results

India and Pakistan teams have only played one Twenty20 International series, a two-match IND vs PAK T20 series in 2012 during Pakistan’s tour of India. Each team won one match, resulting in a tie in the series.