The India vs Pakistan cricket rivalry

An ongoing sports rivalry is the one thing that brings two bitter political adversaries together. India and Pakistan are two nations which have had military clashes every now and then ever since the partition of 1947 took place and the countries split, yet what they both share is a love for cricket. This animosity between each of them fueling sports matches’ intensity has been a ratings dream. They seem to also somehow end up facing each other time and time again in the Cricket World Cup. Let’s take a journey through the history of this white-hot rivalry.

A history of war and bitterness

Since the two countries split apart when the British abandoned their empire, a territorial dispute arose over the state of Kashmir. There was massive communal violence resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands as Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs were displaced. This resulted in a war, which was eventually brokered and the two states agreed to divide the state between the two of them.

The second war in 1965 was fought over the same state. Pakistan launched Operation Gibraltar attempting to incite rebellion in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India retaliated with a full-scale attack and then there was another ceasefire and following the Tashkent Agreement, they both reverted to their former territorial lines. 

In 1971, both fought over the independence of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. India supported the latter’s liberation and in the end, Pakistan surrendered and Bangladesh was created. 

In 1999, both clashed again as Pakistani forces and militants infiltrated Indian positions in Kargil. This was worrying since both sides have nuclear weapons.

Further incidents causing tension

Since then, there have been periodic skirmishes, cross-border terrorism, and episodes of political tension:

• the 2001 Indian parliament attack.

• the 2008 Mumbai attack, which India blamed Pakistan for. Following this incident, Pakistani players exited the lndian Premier League, where they had played on teams like the Chennai Super Kings on lucrative contracts. Games between the countries were halted as well.

• the 2019 Pulwama attack, in which Pakistan shot down two Indian airplanes which it said were flying over its territory.

The mutual violence between the nations have caused halts between their cricket-playing head to head. Yet, all too often, they somehow wind up facing off again in big matches anyway. 

India vs Pakistan head-to-head

The national teams of the two nations played against each other in 1952; however, they didn’t play again for a long time due to the periodically resuming war over Kashmir. In the 1950s and 1960s, Pakistan began to establish itself as a competitive cricketing nation with players like Fazal Mahmood and Imran Khan making waves. They didn’t end up playing again for a full series until 1978. 

Since then, relations between the two countries had a relative thaw, and the two countries ended up facing off again and again in the Cricket World Cup and the Asia Cup. 

For the Asia Cup, they each faced off in Sharjah and Dubai first, and have gone on to play each other a total of 19 times so far:

• India won 10 times;
• Pakistan won 7 times;
• No winner declared 2 times due to rain.
  

In the Cricket World Cup, India has had Pakistan’s number:

• India won 14 times;
• Pakistan won once.
  
  

Most memorable matches

Here are the most significant and fascinating matches that have taken place between the two countries.

1986 Austral-Asia Cup Final in Sharjah, UAE

One of the most famous matches in cricket history, this final saw Javed Miandad’s last-ball six become the ultimate symbol of Pakistan’s never-say-die attitude. India, batting first, put up a competitive 245/7, thanks to Snil Gavaskar’s 92 and a solid middle-order performance. In reply, Pakistan had a steady start but lost wickets at regular intervals. India had it in the bag seemingly until Miandad took matters into his own hands.

With four needed off the final ball, bowler Chetan Sharma opted for a full toss, which Miandad smashed over midwicket for a six, sealing a historic win for Pakistan. This gave Pakistan a psychological edge for a while.

2007 ICC T20 World Cup Final, Johannesburg

India and Pakistan met in the final of the inaugural T20 World Cup, held in South Africa, with both teams a surprise to make it that far. Batting first, India posted 157/5, with Gautam Gambhir’s crucial 75 holding the innings together. Pakistan’s chase was filled with twists and turns, and Misbah-ul-Haq nearly guided them home with a calculated knock.

With just 6 runs needed of 4 balls, Misbah attempted a scoop shot over fine leg against Joginder Sharma, only to mistime it into the hands of Sreesanth. The catch triggered wild celebrations, and MS Dhoni’s young team lifted India’s first-ever T20 World Cup.

2022 T20 World Cup, Melbourne

A modern-day classic played in front of 90,000 fans at the MCG, this match is widely considered one of the greatest T20 games ever. Pakistan, batting first, posted 159/8, with half-centuries from Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed, while Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya took three wickets each. 

In response, India’s chase started horribly losing players early. Then Virat Kohli played an innings for the ages. His two sixes off Haris Rauf in the 19th turned the game around. With 16 needed off the final over, Kohli and Hardik Pandya managed to push the game to the last ball, where R. Ashwin coolly gilded India to victory. The match redefined Kohli’s legacy.

2003 World Cup, Centurion

Pakistan, led by Saeed Anwar’s classy 101, set a challenging target of 274/7, with a legendary bowling attack. Enter Sachin Tendulkar, who played one of the finest innings of his career. His breathtaking 98 off 75 balls, including the famous upper-cut six off Shoaib Akhtar, set the tone for India’s chase. He dominated the bowlers, ensuring India stayed ahead of the required rate. India eventually chased down the target with ease.

2011 World Cup Semi-Final, Mohali

For this game, the prime ministers of both nations attended in a show of diplomacy. India, batting first, posted 260/9, with Sachin Tendulkar’s 85 being the backbone of the innings, despite being dropped multiple times. Pakistan’s chase was filled with tension, but India’s bowlers restricted them to 231 all out. MS Dhoni’s cool captaincy was a major factor in India’s win.

2015 Cricket World Cup group match

This game is an indicator of how big this rivalry is to the fans. In the United States, people think the Super Bowl is larger than life, as it is the biggest television event every year there. Meanwhile, this match garnered 1.1 billion viewers globally, which is a staggering number when compared to typical World Cup matches where the average viewership is around 300-400 million for non-India-Pakistan games. It even eclipsed some of the FIFA World Cup viewership totals.

2016 T20 match

This match had a record-setting 167 million viewers for T20 matches.

Indian Premier League

The IPL has been by far the cash cow of the cricket world, as it has been wildly financially successful since it launched in 2008, owing much of its success to the Twenty20 format it uses with 1 innings per side, 20 overs, 120 legal balls, a franchise structure, and bidding done for players. Initially, Pakistani players were allowed to play in this league. However, following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Pakistani government called off any further head-to-head matches between the countries.