In anticipation of their highly awaited clash at the Asia Cup, let’s revisit the recent performances of arch-rivals India and Pakistan across various formats in their last five encounters.
- India vs. Pakistan: T20 World Cup group stage match, Melbourne (23 October, 2022)
The 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup witnessed a thrilling rematch between India and Pakistan, with India securing victory in a nail-biting contest off the final ball.
Led by an exceptional spell from Arshdeep Singh, India’s fast bowlers made a strong impact during the Powerplay, dismissing Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan early. However, Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed stabilized Pakistan’s innings.
Iftikhar’s aggressive half-century added momentum to Pakistan’s batting, but a crucial wicket by Mohammed Shami slowed their progress. India’s bowlers continued to strike at regular intervals, keeping the game tight. Pakistan set a target of 160 runs.
Pakistan’s pacers rattled India’s top order, but Virat Kohli’s brilliant innings, which shifted gears dramatically, guided India to a thrilling win, with a dramatic final over including a six off a no-ball and a clever leave to secure victory.
- India vs. Pakistan: Asia Cup Super Four, Dubai (4 September, 2022)
Just a week after their intense group stage encounter, India and Pakistan delivered another thrilling contest, with Pakistan emerging victorious this time.
India started brightly, with openers Rohit and Rahul taking an aggressive approach. However, Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan struck back, slowing India’s scoring rate. Kohli anchored India’s innings with a resilient 60.
In response, Pakistan began steadily, but with the required run rate climbing, Nawaz’s explosive 42 and an aggressive finish from Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah secured Pakistan’s win.
- India vs. Pakistan: Asia Cup group stage match, Dubai (28 August, 2022)
In a closely-fought encounter, India emerged victorious. Bhuvneshwar Kumar provided an early breakthrough by dismissing Babar, and Hardik Pandya’s three wickets disrupted Pakistan’s innings. Shahnawaz Dahani’s late hits propelled Pakistan to 147.
Pakistan’s Naseem Khan dismissed Rahul for a golden duck, and India struggled against Pakistan’s bowlers. However, Hardik Pandya’s all-round brilliance, along with Ravindra Jadeja’s efforts, led India to a successful chase.
- India vs. Pakistan: T20 World Cup group stage match, Dubai (24 October 2021)
India faced their first-ever T20 World Cup defeat against Pakistan on this ground. Shaheen’s early wickets put India under pressure, but Kohli’s fifty anchored their innings to 151.
In response, Pakistan cruised to victory with an unbeaten opening partnership between Babar and Rizwan.
- India vs. Pakistan: Cricket World Cup group stage match, Manchester (16 June, 2019)
In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, India convincingly defeated Pakistan. Rohit Sharma’s sensational century and half-centuries from Rahul and Kohli propelled India to a formidable total.
Despite a promising partnership between Fakhar and Babar, Pakistan struggled to chase the target, with Kuldeep Yadav’s breakthrough turning point in the game. India extended their unbeaten World Cup run against Pakistan to 7-0 with this victory.
The last 5 encounters between India and Pakistan across various formats have been marked by intense rivalry and thrilling contests. These matches have showcased moments of brilliance from both sides, leaving cricket fans eagerly anticipating each showdown.
