India and Pakistan enjoy one of the fiercest cricket rivalries worldwide, even amid tensions between them. Matches always prove highly intense and emotional.
Here is the India National Cricket Team Vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline, highlighting the latest encounters, results, and memorable moments between these two legendary teams.
Beginning with the partition of British India in 1947, and lasting to this day, rivalries between India and Pakistan have never truly abated. Here is a glimpse at some of the most memorable moments from their conflict.
| Match # | Date | Format | Venue | Result | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 Sep 2025 | T20I | Dubai | 🇮🇳 India won | Won by 5 wickets (cricketopinion.com) |
| 2 | 21 Sep 2025 | T20I | Dubai | 🇮🇳 India won | Won by 6 wickets (cricketopinion.com) |
| 3 | 14 Sep 2025 | T20I | Dubai | 🇮🇳 India won | Won by 7 wickets (cricketopinion.com) |
| 4 | 9 Jun 2024 | T20I | New York | 🇮🇳 India won | Won by 6 runs (cricketopinion.com) |
| 5 | 23 Oct 2022 | T20I | Dubai | 🇮🇳 India won | Won by 4 wickets (cricketopinion.com) |
The rivalry
India and Pakistan’s cricketing rivalry is one of the best-known in history, marked by competition, pride, and heartache, which has always provided exciting matches between these countries and brought excitement and delight to fans around the globe.
Even with reduced bilateral series between them these days, fans remain passionate about these matches despite less frequent bilateral series between them than once upon a time; several iconic players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Akram, Mohammad Asif and Waqar Younis have played pivotal roles in this rivalry including Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Akram Mohammad Asif and Waqar Younis have participated.
India-Pakistan rivalry stems from their complex historical, political, and cultural relationships. Since 1947’s partition of British India that left millions displaced and resulted in India and Pakistan becoming independent nations; their contentious history has often carried over onto cricket pitches with tensions reaching boiling point on many occasions.
Recently, India-Pakistan rivalry has become less heated. This can be partially attributed to increased security measures at grounds, but also has to do with an evolving tone in game play between both nations.
Although many Indian and Pakistani players remain hostile toward one another, they now recognize they can play this sport with grace and neutrality.
Players often demonstrate this understanding through how they treat one another on the field, for instance when Javed Miandad and Kiran More argued over an umpiring call in India-Pakistan ODI World Cup match 1, Javed Miandad apologized profusely and donated his match fee to civilians affected by recent bombings in India.
This newfound spirit of peace between teams has helped reduce the toxicity of their rivalry. Though some level of animosity will always exist between India and Pakistan, cricket must remain an impartial sport so fans can watch without worrying about politics.
India-Pakistan matches have traditionally been seen as an expression of national pride for both nations; therefore it is imperative that this tradition continues into the future.
The history
India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is one of the fiercest sporting rivalries worldwide, marked by passion, history and national pride.
World Cups or bilateral series matches between these teams always prove electrifying and captivating; their legendary rivalry serves as proof of sport’s ability to bridge cultural divides.
The rivalry between India and Pakistan dates back more than seventy years when they first met for the first time at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi in 1952.
Since then, their rivalry has continued to deepen and evolve, thanks to legendary players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid emerging.
In the 1980s and ’90s, both teams engaged in fierce rivalries in both Test and ODI matches. This competition was further intensified by political tensions between their nations as well as allegations regarding match-fixing; tensions have continued even after 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by gunmen linked to Pakistan.
Cricket remains a graceful and neutral game on the field despite tension between teams; however, its rivalries have recently become more theatrical and charged with nationalism;
Dubai hosted the 2025 Asia Cup which witnessed several dramatic acts such as hand gestures that mimicked fighter jet crashes, refusals of customary handshakes from officials on either team and clashes between match referees and cricket board officials.
Indian teams were defeated by Pakistan in all three matches during this tournament and did not advance to the final, marking their first failure ever to make it past the knockout stages of a major international event.
Indian batsmen suffered due to poor form; therefore it is likely that India will make several changes for Champions Trophy 2019. According to reports, however, India will not travel to Pakistan due to concerns regarding security conditions there.
The atmosphere
Indian and Pakistan cricket matches have long been high-stakes events that evoke powerful feelings from fans ranging from joy to heartache.
Beyond sports, their rivalry also touches upon wider political issues between both countries as well as decades-long history of conflict and violence; making these matches unique and riveting events that engage even non-cricketers alike.
Netflix has just released a documentary focusing on this epic rivalry called India Vs Pakistan: Contest Beyond Bat and Ball that explores these battlegrounds between bat and ball and emotion-charged matchups create high stakes events that create intense emotional responses in its fans and viewers alike!
India and Pakistan are nuclear-armed neighbors whose relationship has worsened following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, for which a group linked to Pakistan claimed responsibility.
Nonetheless, both teams still play each other in multilateral competitions with fans clad in national colours wearing flags waving along with fans taking to social media sites like Twitter to vent their feelings — from excitement to disappointment and everything in between.
The intensity of their game has also been amplified by military skirmishes between both countries over disputed territory in Indian-administered Kashmir, sparking debate on whether their rivalry has become militarised and has lost its competitive edge.
Recently, both teams have given portions of their match fees to charities supporting victims of deteriorating relations between India and Pakistan.
India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, donated his share to families of soldiers killed in Pahalgam attack while Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf reportedly made donations directly to civilians affected by conflict.
Cricket remains a unifying force between India and Pakistan despite political divisions; hundreds of thousands of spectators pack stadiums to watch each match live while millions more watch on television from all around the world.
Cricket fervour can even be felt in cities such as Kolkata where matches are being played or Delhi, with crowds described as being “deafening.”
India-Pakistan matches offer millions of viewers around the world an opportunity to come together as fans from both sides and share in an intense but friendly rivalry, while reminding ourselves that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously in it all.
The players
India and Pakistan enjoy one of the fiercest rivalries in sports, with matches between their teams often being among the biggest and most watched in all of cricket. It’s an intense rivalry that also showcases their complex relationship.
Indian and Pakistani cricket players still compete with some level of grace on the field despite political tension between their nations, reflecting how much their professional careers depend on this rivalry and keeping it alive.
Recently there has been an upsurge in jingoistic antics between Indian and Pakistani cricketers. For instance, Pakistani fast bowler Haris Rauf was fined 30 percent of his match fee after miming planes crashing at the end of a match against India;
Indian bowler Suryakumar Yadav received similar punishment when pointing his bat like a gun when scoring 50 runs against Pakistan during the 2025 Asia Cup final match.
These theatrics blur the line between sport and foreign policy, diminishing cricket as an entirely gentlemanly activity.
At one point during the 2025 Asia Cup, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that India’s win compared to Operation Sindoor — something leading Indian journalists found shocking as this comparison meant comparing a deadly conflict where both civilians and soldiers died with cricket matches!
As veteran players on both sides retire, new faces will take their place and try to maintain the spirit of rivalry between India and Pakistan.
It is up to these emerging stars – Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub among them – to step up to this crucial series, making a fresh chapter of India-Pakistan rivalry possible.
