The rivalry between Pakistan and India in the sport of cricket is considered one of the most famous sporting rivalries in the world. Such matches are much more than bat and ball; they are a contest that resonates with years of history, politics, culture, and national pride. The Pakistan national cricket team and the India national cricket team have had some of their most unforgettable contests, which have included Test matches, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), since their first historic encounter in 1952. The rivalry has provided countless memorable moments to fans all around the world, including drama, heartbreak and joy.
This timeline is a comprehensive guide to the rivalry in each format, complete with a few milestone matches and critical statistics, which have told the story.
The Commencement of Test Cricket Rivalry
India and Pakistan’s first official meeting took place in October 1952 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. It was Pakistan’s first Test, only five years after the creation of Pakistan. On this historic occasion India won by an innings and 70 runs. In a response, Pakistan won the very next test played in Lucknow by an innings and 43 runs. And thus began a long sequence of Test Matches.
In the 1950s, the two teams largely played drawn matches. For instance, in the 1954-55 series in Pakistan, all five tests ended in draws. The same phenomenon applied to the 1960-61 series, where all five tests, played in India were also drawn. For almost 20 years, the nature of the Test cricket series saw the tension between the two nations spill on the field– tours and matches became long, drawn-out stretches of defensively played cricket, with few results to show.
That changed in 1978 when India toured Pakistan for the first time in nearly two decades. After that series of 1-1 in the 1979-80 series in India, India won both matches in Bombay and Madras. Pakistan already had Imran Khan, and India left with no doubts.
There were several memorable series contested in the 1980s. In the 1982-83 series in Pakistan, the host side won three matches, two were innings victories. Arguably, the pinnacle of Test cricket in the rivalry between India and Pakistan came at Bangalore in the 1987 Test. Pakistan batted first on a turning pitch and were bowled out for 256. India, needing 257 to win, gave their best chase falling just 16 runs short, losing to the spin of Iqbal Qasim and Tauseef Ahmed, and the match is now part of the folklore between the teams.
The 1990s saw fewer Test matches because of political reasons, but the matches that did take place deserved the drama they delivered. The 1999 Chennai Test was a match to remember, where Sachin Tendulkar scored a heroic 136 in India’s chase but could not save India in their chase as Pakistan earned a famous 12-run win. India made amends in Delhi with a sizable victory, but Pakistan had their revenge soon after in Kolkata.
The 2004 series was another historic series and it involved India in Pakistan for the first time, and it was truly an iconic series in our time. India recorded its maiden Test series victory in Pakistan on the back of a Virender Sehwag triple century in Multan, and earned an innings victory. The 2006 series saw further drama when Pakistan crushed India by 341 runs in Karachi which was a stark reminder of their dominance in the home series.
As of their final Test matches in 2007, Pakistan slightly led India with 12 wins to India’s 9 wins. Strikingly, 38 of their encounters ended in draws.
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India vs Pakistan in Test Matches (1952–2007)
| Format | Matches | Pakistan Wins | India Wins | Drawn | Tied |
| Tests | 59 | 12 | 9 | 38 | 0 |
The ODI Era and the Sharjah Stories
When Pakistan and India first went head-to-head in One Day Internationals in 1978, it is doubtful that anyone could have predicted the impact the format would have in shaping the rivalry between the two countries. The shorter format allowed the rivalry to infiltrate into the living rooms of millions, with matches regularly taking place in full stadiums and broadcast across the sub-continent.
In the early years, Pakistan were the winners, claiming victory over India in bilateral series and at neutral grounds, particularly Sharjah. The iconic moment that will be etched into people’s minds is when Javed Miandad hit a last-ball six off Chetan Sharma in the 1986 Austral-Asia Cup final at Sharjah, with the win reminding everyone of Pakistan’s ability to steal results at the last minute. In the 1980s and 1990s, Pakistan had the edge in ODIs and had many bilateral series victories.
On the other hand, India managed to find their prize in ICC tournaments. India has had a perfect record against Pakistan in all ODI World Cup engagements since the 1992 World Cup in Sydney. The 1996 quarterfinal in Bangalore, the 2003 game in Centurion, and the 2011 semifinal in Mohali, all high-profile and high-voltage contests that India managed to win, only added to Pakistan’s dominance in ODIs.
The two series between the two countries in 2004 and 2005 were absolute riveting cricket. India chased down huge totals in both Karachi and Rawalpindi, whereas Pakistan prevailed in pivotal matches in Ahmedabad and Kanpur. The Champions Trophy final at The Oval in 2017 remains Pakistan’s most memorable ODI moment versus India; with Fakhar Zaman’s century and Mohammad Amir’s new-ball destruction, Pakistan crushed India by 180 runs to be crowned champions.
By 2025, in ODIs, Pakistan had 73 wins to India’s 58, with 5 no-results; however, India’s success in World tournaments has ensured they stayed psychologically ahead of Pakistan on the global stage.
India vs Pakistan in ODIs (1978–2025)
| Format | Matches | Pakistan Wins | India Wins | No Result | Tied |
| ODIs | 136 | 73 | 58 | 5 | 0 |
The T20 Matches and World Cup Madness
Twenty20 cricket emerged in the mid-2000s and revived the old rivalry. The first T20 match played by these teams in 2007 was dramatic with the violence ending in a tie and India winning the match in a bowl out. Not long after, the two teams met again in the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup final in Johannesburg, with India winning by five runs in a thrilling victory.
India continued its form in T20 World Cups, winning matches in 2012, 2014 and 2016. By this time, Virat Kohli was a particular issue for Pakistan as he played some remarkable innings in these matches.
Pakistan finally broke the World Cup streak against India in 2021 in Dubai, when openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan guided the team to a historic 10-wicket victory over India, the first time they were able to claim a 10 wicket victory over India in T20 World Cup – an achievement which was widely celebrated in Pakistan. However, India returned the favour the following year in 2022 in Melbourne when Virat Kohli’s amazing innings of 82 not out guided India to a remarkable last ball victory over Pakistan.
Heading into 2024, the T20I rivalry had swung remarkably in India’s favour. In the 13 matches completed, India had won 10 and Pakistan had only won 3 matches.
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India vs Pakistan in T20 Internationals (2007–2024)
| Format | Matches | Pakistan Wins | India Wins | No Result | Tied |
| T20Is | 13 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Rivalry that Redefines History
Statistical comparison cannot convey the magnitude of the cricketing rivalry that exists between Pakistan and India. Pakistan has always had an upper hand in ODIs and Tests but India always finds ways to separate itself in ICC tournaments and T20Is. However, the rivalry will always be marked by the understated yet dramatic moments that extend far outside of the sport and include Miandad’s six in Sharjah, Sehwag’s triple century in Multan, Tendulkar’s heartbreak in Chennai, Afridi’s cameos in Sharjah and Kanpur, Kohli’s heroics in Melbourne and Pakistan’s 10-wicket win in Dubai.
Every encounter between Pakistan and India is always an event. Whether in Delhi, Lahore, Karachi, Mumbai, Dubai or London, the matches have made headlines globally and incomes emotions that are unparalleled in sport. By 2025, the numbers might also say Pakistan leads in ODIs and Tests and India leads in T20Is and ICC tournaments, but it is the unpredictability and passion of the rivalry that make it special.
For fans, the encounter means more than cricket; it is about identity, pride and history. Each contest is just a chapter from a book with more than seventy years of coverage, and one that will continue to write itself for at least another seventy years.
