By Eric Sara
The Indo-Pak rivalry is one of the most riveted rivalries in the world. Originating from the partition between India and Pakistan in 1947, this angst has carried over to cricket as well. Introduced to the Indians by the Britishers, this sport has maintained its place as one of the most loved sports of the country. And the most awaited match is the one between India and Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup.
Both teams have to face immense pressure from their respective countries during these matches as both expect their team to win. The tickets are sold out almost instantly and are then sold in black for those who haven’t been able to secure their own. People watching at home are glued to their cricket score app when the match is live. The two nationals teams have always been neck to neck in these matches.
While India has maintained its record of winning against Pakistan almost every time during the World Cups that include the 50-over World Cup and the T20 World Cup, there was a time when it was declared a draw in the T20 World Cup match. Both the teams have competed against each other in several Test matches, ODIs and T20 matches.
The two teams first met in 1952 in India when Pakistan toured India for a Test series. The 1952 Test series was won by India, but both countries have been at par each time. They have played several Test, ODIs and T20s opposite each other. Their last match together was in the year 2019 in the 50 over World Cup.
They have played against each other for a total of 199 matches internationally, and the 200th match shall take place in the 2021 World Cup. Even though Pakistan has a lead in the Test and ODI matches, they have not secured a win in the World Cup.
Out of the 50 Test matches, India and Pakistan have played against each other, India has won 9 and Pakistan has won 12, the remaining matches have either been draws, ties or had no results. Pakistan has also had a better winning score compared to India in the ODIs. Among the 132 matches they had against each other, India won 55 and Pakistan won 73, while 4 were draws or no results. The T20 score has been in favour of India as out of the eight matches, Pakistan has only been able to win one, and another match was a draw.
India and Pakistan have given each other a hard time in the World Cup matches as well. A total of seven 50-over World Cup matches were played, but India has won all 7 of them. Out of the five T20World Cup matches played, India has won 4 of them, and one match was declared a draw.
Three players have played for both India as well as Pakistan – Amir Elahi, Hul Mohammed and Abdul Hafiz Kardar. However, due to political issues, both sides had to pay the price. Both the Indian cricket team as well as the Pakistani cricket team had to cut ties with the other. Because of these reasons, every match is eagerly awaited by the fans of each team.
