From nail-biting finishes to high-octane dramas, India-Pakistan encounters have had it all, making it one of the most followed and awaited rivalries in world cricket.
One such rivalry is soon on the cards as India ,led by Rohit Sharma, and Pakistan, under Babar Azam, lock horns in their 2022 T20 World Cup opener at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Australia on 23 October.
The Indians enter the tournament as the top-ranked T20I side in ICC rankings while Pakistan are not far behind, at the third spot. Team India have an 8-3 head-to-head advantage over their neighbours in T20 cricket but numbers do not provide the whole picture.
In fact, Pakistan won two of the last three encounters between the arch-rivals. Of late, India and Pakistan have only met during multination tournament's and the upcoming World Cup could be the perfect platform for a mouthwatering contest.
Having said that, here's a look at the results of T20I matches played between the two teams in the past.
1. India ‘Bowl-out’ Pakistan (2007 Durban)
The first-ever India-Pakistan T20I encounter happened in the group stage of the 2007 World Cup and it went down to the wire. Riding on Robin Uthappa’s half-century, India posted 141/9.
In reply, Misbah-ul-Haq scored a fifty to take Pakistan close to the target, but the Indian bowlers held on to their nerves to end the match in a tie. India were declared the eventual winners via ‘bowl-out’, a system used to decide winners following a tie in the early days of the format.
2. Dhoni & Co Lift Maiden World Cup (2007 Johannesburg)
Following their stellar form in the tournament, India and Pakistan met each other once again in the World Cup, this time in the final.
A measured 75 from Gautam Gambhir helped India reach 157/5 to which Pakistan responded with a quickfire 33 off just 14 deliveries through opener Imran Nazir.
However, Pakistan lost wickets in regular intervals which put them on the backfoot before Misbah played a late cameo to take them into the final over.
With Pakistan needing 13 runs of six runs and India a wicket to attain glory, it was the latter who emerged victorious as Misbah miscued a scoop of Joginder Sharma’s third ball into the hands of S Sreesanth at short fine-leg.
With the win, India lifted the inaugural and their only T20 World Cup title under captain MS Dhoni.
3. No Change in Plot (2012 Colombo)
Five years passed since India’s last T20 win over Pakistan and there was no change in the plot when the two sides met again in the group stages of the 2012 T20 World Cup.
Lakshmipathy Balaji impressed with figures of 3/22 to bundle out Pakistan for a meagre 128 runs. Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 75 off 61 as India won with eight wickets and three overs to spare in what was a one-sided contest.
4. Pakistan Savour First Win (2012 Bengaluru)
Two months following their World Cup loss, Pakistan toured India for a three-match ODI and as many T20I series respectively-- the final bilateral between both sides.
After a good start from openers Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane, who each hit 40-plus scores, Indian wickets fell in quick succession, courtesy of a three-wicket (3/21) spell from Umar Gul as the hosts were restricted to 133/9.
Fifties from Mohammed Hafeez (61) and Shoaib Malik (57 not out) helped Pakistan beat the Indians on the home soil with five wickets, ending their wait for a first T20 win against their opponents.
5. India Exact Revenge (2012 Ahmedabad)
After the loss in the first T20I, India travelled to Ahmedabad where Yuvraj Singh smashed 72 off just 36 balls to take the hosts to a huge total of 192/5.
The equally competitive Pakistanis played their heart out with Hafeez once again impressing with a 55 off 26 following a solid 41 from opener Nasir Jamshed. Hafeez’s dismissal, however, turned the tables as Pakistan fell short by 11 runs to help India exact revenge.
6. India Resume T20 World Cup Dominance (Mirpur 2014)
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra spun a web around the Pakistan batters with figures of 2/22 from four overs as they were restricted to 130/7 in the group stages of the 2014 edition of the T20 World Cup.
Unbeaten 36 and 35 from Kohli and Suresh Raina ensured India chased down the target quite comfortably with seven wickets and nine deliveries in hand.
7. First T20 Asia Cup Win (Mirpur 2016)
In the maiden T20 Asia Cup held in Bangladesh both the sides pitted against each other in the fourth match of the tournament. Hardik Pandya’s sensational 3/8 and Ravindra Jadeja’s 2/11 saw Pakistan skittle out for a paltry 83 runs.
After a few early setbacks, Virat Kohli played the anchor with a 49 off 51 balls to take India past the finish line. The five-wicket win saw India claim their first win against Pakistan in the T20 edition of the continental event.
8. In-form Kohli Guides India Home (Kolkata 2016)
Just a month after their Asia Cup win, India faced Pakistan in a rain-affected 18-over-a-side World Cup Super 10 match in Kolkata. An overall display of tight bowling from the Indian bowlers saw Pakistan manage a just 118/5, batting first.
India did not have the best of starts as they lost both their openers quite early, but an in-form Kohli stood out once again with an unbeaten 55 off 37 deliveries to guide India home with six wickets in hand.
9. Babar, Rizwan Break Pakistan's T20 World Cup Jinx (Dubai 2021)
After a gap of five years, India faced Pakistan in a T20 World Cup group opener as Shaheen Afridi wreaked havoc with the new ball to send Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul packing early.
Captain Kohli’s fifty and Rishabh Pant’s valuable 39 offered India some solace as the score reached 151/7 after 20 overs.
But Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan put on a batting masterclass, scoring an unbeaten 68 and 79 respectively to record a 10-wicket win over India. In the process, Pakistan finally managed to break their winless streak against India in the T20 World Cup.
10. Hardik’s All-round Show Sinks Pakistan (Dubai 2022)
India under new captain Rohit locked horns with Pakistan in the group stage of the second T20 edition of the Asia Cup held last August. Four wickets from Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/26) and three from Hardik Pandya (3/25) saw the Pakistan innings topple for 147 runs.
The Indians started slowly, playing cautious cricket before Hardik donned the finisher's role with a quickfire 33 not out off 17 deliveries to defeat Pakistan by five wickets.
11. Pakistan Eke Out Narrow Win (Dubai 2022)
After securing group qualification, the two rivals encountered one another in a Super 4 thriller one week after India’s successful chase. A steady 60 off 44 balls from Kohli took India’s total to 181/7 in what was a belter of a batting pitch.
However, the target was not enough for the chase-friendly conditions in Dubai as Rizwan (71 off 51) and Mohammad Nawaz (42 off 20) powered Pakistan to a five wicket win with just one ball to spare.
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