India National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline

This is the journey of one of the greatest and hottest cricket rivalries in the history of International Cricket, from the very first Test series between India National Cricket Team and Pakistan National Cricket Team in 1952 till date. In Test cricket and One Day International (ODI) cricket, the two neighbouring countries have been providing memorable match-ups in their decades-long rivalry in various occasions in the Test matches, in One Day Internationals (ODI), in T20 Internationals, ICC Cricket World Cup, T20 World Cup and the Asia Cup. This matchup has seen iconic performances, dramatic moments, and historic victories, all featuring iconic cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shahid Afridi, MS Dhoni, and Babar Azam, and it has captivated millions of cricket fans around the world.

India National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline

Year/Date	Match/Series	Venue	Result
1952–53	1st Test Series	India	India won the series 2–1
1954–55	Test Series	Pakistan	Series drawn 0–0
1960–61	Test Series	Pakistan	Pakistan won the series 2–0
1978–79	Test Series	Pakistan	Pakistan won the series 2–0
1978–79	ODI Series (First ODI between the teams)	Pakistan	Pakistan won the series 2–0
1983	ICC Cricket World Cup	Manchester	India won by 43 runs
1985	World Championship of Cricket Final	Melbourne	India won by 8 wickets
1986	Austral-Asia Cup Final	Sharjah	Pakistan won by 1 wicket (Javed Miandad’s last-ball six)
1992	ICC Cricket World Cup	Sydney	India won by 43 runs
1996	ICC Cricket World Cup Quarter-final	Bengaluru	India won by 39 runs
1999	Test Series	India	Pakistan won the series 1–0
1999	ICC Cricket World Cup	Manchester	India won by 47 runs
2003	ICC Cricket World Cup	Centurion	India won by 6 wickets
2004	Test Series	Pakistan	India won the series 2–1 (first Test series win in Pakistan)
2005	ODI Series	India	Pakistan won the series 4–2
2006	Test Series	Pakistan	Series drawn 1–1
2007	ICC T20 World Cup Final	Johannesburg	India won by 5 runs
2011	ICC Cricket World Cup Semi-final	Mohali	India won by 29 runs
2012–13	Bilateral ODI Series	India	Pakistan won the series 2–1
2014	Asia Cup	Mirpur	Pakistan won by 1 wicket
2016	ICC T20 World Cup	Kolkata	India won by 6 wickets
2017	ICC Champions Trophy Final	London	Pakistan won by 180 runs
2018	Asia Cup (Super Four)	Dubai	India won by 9 wickets
2018	Asia Cup	Dubai	India won by 8 wickets
2019	ICC Cricket World Cup	Manchester	India won by 89 runs (DLS)
2021	ICC T20 World Cup	Dubai	Pakistan won by 10 wickets
2022	ICC T20 World Cup	Melbourne	India won by 4 wickets
2023	Asia Cup Super Four	Colombo	India won by 228 runs
2023	ICC Cricket World Cup	Ahmedabad	India won by 7 wickets
2024	ICC T20 World Cup	New York	India won by 6 runs
2025	ICC Champions Trophy	Dubai	India won by 6 wickets

India National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline: Origins of the Rivalry (1947-1952)

The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry was born from the ashes of the 1947 Partition. This period of civil unrest resulted in approximately one million deaths and the forced relocation of 10 million individuals. Sport, particularly cricket inherited from colonial masters turned into an arena of nationalistic assertion.

Pakistan became a member of the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1948. They reached Full Member status by July 1952. Later in the same year Pakistan toured India for a cricket series to begin the legendary cricket rivalry.

Early Encounters and Interrupted Relations (1952-1977)

The first Test series in 1952 could be regarded as the preview of further competition between the teams. Finally, India won the series by 2-1 but in the last match it was not very easy. The Pakistan triumph in Lucknow was a subject of much indignation among the Indian audiences. This pressure led both teams to reduce the number of attacking moves in a bid to avoid conceding goals thus leading to many drawn games.

The political issues quickly intruded into the sphere of cricket. The Indo-Pakistani wars of 1965 and 1971 resulted in severing the cricket relations between the two nations for fifteen years. In any case, for the period between 1962 and 1977, the gentle crack of the bat hitting the ball was drowned by the roar of tanks and artillery.

Revival and Neutral Venues (1978-1999)

Cricket diplomacy was first used in 1978 when thousands of Indian fans were granted visas to go Pakistan to watch cricket matches. It was during this time that a brief reconciliation was made with the game acting as the bargaining tool between the two countries.

From the late 1980s and 1990s there was a transition to neutral venues. Sharjah in the UAE and Toronto in Canada turned into venues for India-Pakistan competition, as numerous expatriates flocked to the games. Other competitions global such as ICC Cricket World Cup, T20 World Cup, Asia Cup offered other occasions where these rivalries may clash.

It was in the year 1999 when Indian cricketer Anil Kumble made his mark in the cricket world. He set a record in the Test match against Pakistan when he took all ten wickets in an innings, thus becoming the second bowler in the history to do so.

21st Century: Highs and Lows (2000–2026)

• The new millennium saw the beginning of renewed hope for developing cricketing relations. India toured Pakistan in 2003 for the first time after 15 years after the peace initiative by the then Indian Prime Minister Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This paved the way for exchange tours in 2005 and 2006.
• The 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali became a stage for cricket diplomacy. To highlight this, Indian PM Manmohan Singh invited his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani to watch the match, thus putting into display the unifying force of the sport.
• However, the 2008 Mumbai attacks remained a cause for deep concern. The scheduled tour by India to Pakistan in 2009 was called off and further tours in Pakistan were put to a stop.
• The last few years have witnessed some progress as well as certain regression. In the T20 format, Pakistan saw their first win over India at the World Cup in 2021. In the Asia Cup 2023, India scored their biggest total of 356 for two against Pakistan and also registered a 228-run win – their biggest ever against arch-foes.
• The New York Miracle describes the 2024 T20 World Cup which the India cricket team won by defending their record low T20I score of 119 runs against Pakistan in a June 9 low-scoring thriller. India achieved a 6-run victory over Pakistan after Jasprit Bumrah delivered a historic bowling performance which resulted in him taking three wickets while conceding only 14 runs.
• Asia Cup Final: On September 28 India won their 9th Asia Cup title by defeating Pakistan through a 5 wicket victory. Tilak Varma (69)* became the final match hero after Kuldeep Yadav achieved a 4 wicket haul which destroyed the Pakistan middle order.
• The 2026 T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan took place on February 15 2026 which India won by 61 runs. Ishan Kishan scored 77 runs from 40 balls while Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah led the team to bowl out Pakistan for 114 runs which secured India’s Super 8s qualification.
  

Head-to-Head Statistics

Format	Matches	India Won	Pakistan Won	Draw / Tie / No Result
Tests	59	9	12	38 Draws
ODIs	136	58	73	5 No Results
T20Is	17	14	3	0
Overall	212	81	88	43

Head-to-Head Summary

Stat	India	Pakistan
Total Matches	212	212
Wins	81	88
Win Percentage	38.2%	41.5%
Draw/No Result	43	43

Test Matches:

• Total played: 59
• India wins: 9
• Pakistan wins: 12
• Draws: 38

ODIs:

• Total played: 136
• India wins: 58
• Pakistan wins: 73
• No result: 5

T20Is:

• Total played: 17
• India wins: 14
• Pakistan wins: 3
• Tie/No result: 0

ICC Tournament Face-offs:

• Total matches: 21
• India wins: 16
• Pakistan wins: 4
• Draw/Tie/No Result: 1
  

1. Top Run Scorers (All Formats)

Rank	Player	Team	Matches	Runs	100s	50s
1	Sachin Tendulkar	India	90	3,159	5	21
2	Javed Miandad	Pakistan	65	2,928	6	16
3	Inzamam-ul-Haq	Pakistan	76	2,499	4	13
4	Sunil Gavaskar	India	59	2,495	4	16
5	Rahul Dravid	India	73	2,407	2	14

Combined Test, ODI, and T20I records.

2. Leading Wicket-Takers (All Formats)

Rank	Player	Team	Matches	Wickets	Best Bowling
1	Kapil Dev	India	61	99	8/85
2	Imran Khan	Pakistan	64	94	8/60
3	Wasim Akram	Pakistan	71	92	7/119
4	Anil Kumble	India	59	90	10/74
5	Abdul Qadir	Pakistan	45	67	6/16

Combined Test, ODI, and T20I records.

Notable Records and Performances

Test Cricket:

• Highest team score: Pakistan’s 699/5 in Lahore (1989-90)
• Lowest completed innings: India’s 106 in Lucknow (1952-53)
• Largest victory margin: India’s innings and 370 runs in New Delhi (1952-53)
• Most runs: Javed Miandad (PAK) 2,228 runs
• Highest individual score: Virender Sehwag’s (IND) 309 in Multan (2004)
• Most wickets: Kapil Dev (IND) – 99 wickets

ODI Cricket:

• Highest team total: India’s 356/2 in Colombo (2023)
• Lowest team total: India’s 79 in Sialkot (1978-79)
• Largest victory margin: India’s 228 runs in Colombo (2023)

Conclusion

For the contrast, it is crucial to note that what India and Pakistan exhibit when performing on the cricket ground is much more than sport. This is because it symbolises separation of past, division of the present, and potential unity of the future. Every match is a showdown of talent, temperance, and patriotism in the 22-yard field. From Kumble’s 10-wicket match taking to Sehwag’s triple hundred to the tense and breathtaking duel in World Cup matches, this cricketing rivalry promises to deliver enduring dramatic histories.

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