India vs Pakistan Cricket Timeline: Full IND vs PAK History

Few sporting rivalries carry the weight of India vs Pakistan in cricket. When these two nations meet, the outcome matters to hundreds of millions far beyond the boundary rope. This timeline traces every major chapter of that contest — from the first Test at Feroz Shah Kotla in 1952 to India’s 2025 Champions Trophy victory — laying out the records that define who has dominated and where the balance of power has shifted.

T20 World Cups: India 8-1 Pakistan ·
T20I Head-to-Head: India 14 wins, Pakistan 3 ·
First Test Match: 1952, India won ·
Recent ODI: 2025 Champions Trophy, India won by 6 wickets ·
Total T20Is Played: 17

Who won most IND vs PAK?

Across all formats combined, India and Pakistan have faced each other 212 times, with Pakistan holding a narrow overall lead at 88 victories to India’s 81, plus 43 draws or ties. The picture shifts dramatically when broken down by format.

Tests

In 59 Test matches, Pakistan holds the upper hand with 12 wins against India’s 9, while 38 ended in draws. Javed Miandad starred for Pakistan, scoring 2,228 runs in 28 Tests at an average of 67.51 — the highest tally anyone has posted against India in this format. On the Indian side, Sunil Gavaskar managed 2,089 runs across 24 matches. When it comes to bowling, Kapil Dev leads India’s effort with 99 wickets at 28.50, while Imran Khan replied with 94 wickets at a finer 24.12 average for Pakistan.

ODIs

The 136 ODIs between these sides show Pakistan ahead 73 to 58. The two teams met most frequently on neutral ground during the 1980s and 1990s because political tensions made bilateral home series impossible. India posted their highest-ever ODI total against Pakistan in the 2023 Asia Cup Super Fours, making 356/2 before winning by a record 228 runs. India also beat Pakistan in the 2025 Champions Trophy group stage, chasing 241 to win by 6 wickets at Dubai International Stadium.

T20Is

India’s modern dominance shows clearest in T20 cricket. Across 17 T20Is, India has won 14 against Pakistan’s 3. The first encounter came in the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup final, where India prevailed by 5 runs in a match that still resonates as a turning point for Indian cricket confidence. Pakistan’s sole T20I victory over India came in the 2009 edition at Centurion.

What this means is that India’s Test and ODI records suggest a closer contest than the headline numbers indicate, but their T20 dominance since 2007 is overwhelming. Pakistan historically performs better in longer formats and knockout fixtures, while India has consistently outplayed them in high-frequency T20 meetings.

What is 8-1 IND vs PAK?

India holds an 8-1 advantage over Pakistan in ICC T20 World Cup meetings. That single Pakistani victory came in the 2009 group stage at Centurion. Every other encounter — including the 2007 final and the 2022 group clash in Melbourne — has gone India’s way.

T20 World Cup encounters

• 2007 — India won final by 5 runs (Johannesburg)
• 2009 — Pakistan won group match by 54 runs (Centurion)
• 2012 — India won group match by 8 wickets (Colombo)
• 2014 — India won group match by 7 wickets (Dhaka)
• 2016 — India won group match by 6 wickets (Kolkata)
• 2021 — India won group match by 10 wickets (Dubai)
• 2022 — India won group match by 4 wickets (Melbourne)
• 2024 — India won group match by 6 wickets (New York)

Key match results

The 2007 final remains the rivalry’s defining T20 moment. Chasing 157, India needed 13 runs from the last over. Misbah-ul-Haq attempted a scoop shot against Joginder Sharma, only to scoop it into the hands of Gautam Gambhir at fine leg. India won by 5 runs, and a generation of Indian fans experienced cricket euphoria for the first time outside of batting showcases. Fifteen years later, Virat Kohli rescued another tense chase with an unbeaten 82 off 52 balls at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Melbourne, proving India’s T20I resolve against Pakistan remains formidable.

The pattern makes India’s 8-1 World Cup record against Pakistan look even more lopsided when context is applied: Pakistan has never beaten India in a World Cup knockout match. Their only wins have come in group stages, and every final or semifinal meeting has ended India’s way.

India vs Pakistan total ODI match record

In 136 ODIs, Pakistan leads 73-58. The gap reflects Pakistan’s historical strength in the 1990s and early 2000s, when Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, and Saqlain Mushtaq regularly dismantled Indian batting lineups.

Overall ODI stats

Javed Miandad retired as the most prolific run-scorer in India-Pakistan ODIs as well. For India, Sachin Tendulkar scored heavily across both formats — his 98 at Centurion during the 2003 World Cup remains the highest individual score by anyone in this rivalry at a global tournament.

World Cup ODIs

When it comes to ICC Cricket World Cups specifically, India has won 9 of 10 meetings against Pakistan, including the 1992 final in Melbourne, the 1996 quarter-final in Bangalore, and the 2011 semi-final in Mohali. Pakistan’s sole World Cup win over India came in the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai, where Shaheen Shah Afridi’s opening spell dismantled India’s top order.

What is the timeline of India vs Pakistan cricket matches?

The rivalry began almost immediately after partition. Pakistan gained ICC membership in 1948, and the first official Test series arrived in 1952 at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla, where India claimed a 2-1 series victory.

1950s–1970s

India’s first overseas tour to Pakistan came in 1955, and the teams played Test series regularly until political friction intervened. The 1965 war ended cricket contact for six years, and even after resumption in 1971, it took until 1978 for the teams to play their first ODI in Indore.

1980s–1990s

The 1986 Sharjah final produced one of cricket’s most replayed images: Javed Miandad upper-cutting a six off the last ball to win a must-win group match. The rivalry gained a permanent global stage when India and Pakistan met in the 1992 World Cup final, with India winning by 6 wickets in Melbourne.

2000s–2010s

Sachin’s 98 at Centurion in 2003, India’s 2011 World Cup semi-final triumph in Mohali, and Pakistan’s shock 180-run Champions Trophy win in 2017 all belong to this era. The 2007 ICC T20 World Cup final reset expectations: India had never won a global tournament in any format, and beating Pakistan in the inaugural T20 final gave Indian cricket a new identity.

The implication is that every decade of this rivalry has delivered at least one defining moment that shifted the psychological balance between the two sides — and the 2007 final remains the single most consequential result in the history of the fixture.

Pakistan national Cricket team vs India national Cricket team stats

Beyond match outcomes, the individual records tell their own story of dominance, durability, and clutch performance under pressure.

Player stats

• Javed Miandad — 2,228 runs at 67.51 average (28 Tests vs India)
• Sunil Gavaskar — 2,089 runs at 52.22 average (24 Tests vs Pakistan)
• Kapil Dev — 99 wickets at 28.50 average (29 Tests vs Pakistan)
• Imran Khan — 94 wickets at 24.12 average (23 Tests vs India)

Standings

Both nations have won the ICC Cricket World Cup and the ICC T20 World Cup. India has accumulated 8 ICC trophies across all formats; Pakistan has won 3. The most recent encounter — India’s 6-wicket win in the 2025 Champions Trophy — kept that gap visible.

The catch is that trophies won do not necessarily reflect current form in this rivalry, where Pakistan has shown a consistent ability to spring upsets regardless of their overall trophy haul.

Related reading: SA vs Australia Cricket Timeline: History, Fixtures 2025-2026 · Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians Match Scorecard – Full Results and Key Stats

Pakistan’s narrow overall edge of 88-81 belies India’s T20 dominance, detailed further in the Pakistan vs India cricket timeline spanning 1952 to recent Champions Trophy clashes.

Frequently asked questions