India National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline

Every match between these two cricketing giants draws massive global attention, with billions tuning in. India has usually maintained a stronghold on Pakistan in the ICC tournaments, enjoying an undefeated record against Pakistan at both the ODI and T20I Cricket World Cups until 2021. Although they have played limited bilateral series, due to the political climate, their meetings at global competitions are marked with high drama, fierce competition, endless emotion, and unforgettable performances. The match results presented in the India National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline present a complete picture of their cricket competition, covering both the early days and the present. In addition to match results, it highlights historic events, legendary cricketers, and the overall importance of this iconic, passionate cricket 'battle'.

Early Encounters: 1952 to 1980

1. 1952-1953 India v Pakistan: The two countries first met on the field in 1952, when Pakistan came to India for a five-match Test series. India clinched victory on the first Test by an innings and 70 runs. Mulvantrai Mankad took 8 wickets in Pakistan’s first innings and 5 in the second. In the second Test, Pakistan emerged victorious by an innings and 43 runs, thanks to Fazal Mahmood’s bowling and Nazar Mohammad’s run chase of 124. India won the 3rd Test by 10 wickets, thanks to Vijay Hazare’s 146 and Polly Umrigar’s 102. The 4th and 5th Tests ended in a draw.
2. 1978-1979 Pakistan v India: India visited Pakistan for a 3-match Test series in 1978; the first match was a draw, and Pakistan won both the second and third matches by 8 wickets. Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Asif Iqbal, Mushtaq Mohammad, Imran Khan, and Sarfraz Nawaz were crucial players for Pakistan. Conversely, for India, Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Viswanath, Dillip Vengsarkar, Chetan Chauhan, Bishen Bedi, and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar were significant players.
3. 1978-1979 Pakistan v India: In the same year, 1978, India and Pakistan played their first One-Day International in Pakistan. India won the first match of the 3-match series by 4 runs. India scored 170 in 40 overs with 7 wickets down; however, they limited Pakistan to 166 for 8 wickets. Pakistan won the second ODI match by eight wickets. The third ODI match was quite controversial as Bishen Singh Bedi conceded the match because of blatantly biased umpiring.

The Era of Close Contests: 1980s to 2000s

1. 1982-1983 Pakistan v India: In the 1982-83 season, Men in Blue and Men in Green encountered each other in a 6-match Test series in Pakistan. Although the series started with a match draw, Pakistan paced up to clinch victory in the second, third, and fourth Test matches. Defeating India by an innings and 86 runs in the second Test, they headed to the next game to defeat India by 10 wickets. The Shaheens clinched victory in the fourth game by an innings and 119 runs.
2. 1984-1985 Benson & Hedges World Championship: The two nations locked horns in Melbourne for the finals of the championship. Kapil Dev and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan took 3 wickets each, dismissing crucial Pakistani batters. The Men in Green were sent back to the pavilion for 176. Ravi Shastri and Kris Srikkanth scored 103 runs together to start the game. Losing two wickets, the Indian batters displayed a marvelous performance, gathering a total of 177 in 47.1 runs, becoming the world champions.
3. 1985-1986 Austral-Asia Cup: India and Pakistan advanced to the finals of the event. Invited to bat first, India scored 245, losing 7 wickets, with Sunil Gavaskar (92) and Kris Srikkanth (75) leading the way. Despite a slow start by the Pakistani openers, Javed Miandad single-handedly stretched the game, scoring 116. This turned the game in Pakistan’s favor, and they became the new champions of the Austral-Asia Cup.
4. 1991-1992 Wills Trophy: The final of the tournament was held in Sharjah between India and Pakistan. The poor performance by Indian batters and Aaqib Javed’s bowling led India to lose the game by 72 runs. For a target of 263 runs, Indian cricketers could amass only 190.
5. 1995-1996 Wills World Cup: The 2nd Quarter-Final of the 1996 World Cup saw Indian and Pakistani players against each other. Indian cricketers chose to bat first, setting a target of 288 for Pakistani players, with Navjot Sidhu leading the way with 93. In answer, Pakistan managed just 248/9 and handed India the match with a margin of 39 runs.
6. 1997-1998 Silver Jubilee Independence Cup: India won the title by defeating Pakistan in the third final of the best-of-three series. The game intensifies as India won the first final by 8 wickets, and Pakistan won the second by 6 wickets. India won the 3rd Final by 3 wickets. Pakistan scored 314 with 5 wickets down, while India completed the run chase of 316, losing 7 wickets. Hence, India was declared the winner of the tournament.
7. 1998-1999 India v Pakistan: The two-match Test series was held in India after a decade. Despite Sachin Tendulkar’s inning of 136 in the first game, Pakistan won by 12 runs. Anil Kumble’s historic 10-wicket haul in the second innings of the second Test stunned the cricket world, becoming the second player to do so in Test history. India won the game by 212 runs.
8. 2003-2004 Pakistan v India: India played a 3-match Test series with Pakistan on Pakistani soil. India won the first match by an innings and 52 runs, led by Virender Sehwag’s 309 off 375 balls. Sachin Tendulkar also contributed with 194 runs. In the second match, Pakistan won by 9 wickets, thanks to Inzamam-ul-Haq’s 118, and Umar Gul dismissing top-order Indian batters. However, in the 3rd match, India won by an innings and 131 runs, thanks to Rahul Dravid’s 270.
9. 2005-2006 Pakistan v India: The Men in Greens and Men in Blue met in Pakistan for a 5-match ODI series. Sachin Tendulkar’s century in the first game set the game for India; however, Salman Butt’s knock of 101 brought the game in favor of Pakistan. The remaining 4 games were won by India, highlighting India’s growing prowess on Pakistan’s soil. The addition of new players in the Indian team proved beneficial for the team, including MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, R P Singh, and Sreesanth.
10. 2007-2008 ICC World Twenty20: India and Pakistan met in Johannesburg for the very first ICC T20I World Cup Final in 2007. Winning the toss, India chose to bat and scored 157, losing 5 wickets. Pakistan, however, could gather only 152, losing all wickets. Irfan Pathan and R P Singh took 3 wickets each, dismissing crucial Pakistani batters to claim victory for India under new skipper MS Dhoni for the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup.

2011 to Recent Encounters: The Changing Dynamic of Indo-Pak Rivalry

1. 2010-2011 ICC World Cup: The 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan was played in Chandigarh on 30th March, 2011. India won the toss and decided to bat first, producing 260 in the first innings of the game. On the other hand, Pakistan was bowled out for 231, and India won the game by 29 runs. India went to face Sri Lanka in the finals and clinched victory. Sachin Tendulkar was named man of the match for his crucial knock of 85 runs.
2. 2012-2013 India v Pakistan: The 2-match T20I series in India ended 1-1. Pakistan and India won one match each, and while Pakistan emerged victorious by 5 wickets in the first game, India won the second game by 11 runs.
3. 2017 ICC Champions Trophy: The 4th Match of the championship concluded in favor of India, winning the game by 124 runs using the D/L method. Rohit Sharma scored 91, with significant support from Virat Kohli (81), Shikhar Dhawan (68), and Yuvraj Singh (53). Indian batters scored 319, losing 3 wickets, while restricting the Shaheens to 164. The two teams again met for the final of the championship at Kennington Oval, London. Fakhar Zaman’s innings of 114 contributed significantly to Pakistan’s total of 338, while India was bundled out for 158. Pakistan claimed the title by defeating India by 180 runs, thanks to Mohammad Amir, who took 3 crucial wickets, taking down Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli.
4. 2021 ICC T20 World Cup: The 16th Match of the tournament between Pakistan and India was a milestone in the Indo-Pak cricket rivalry as Pakistan clinched its first World Cup victory over India by winning the game by 10 wickets. While the Indian team was bundled out for 151, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam's combination of 152 enabled Pakistan to win the match. Shaheen Shah Afridi also played a pivotal role by dismissing KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.
5. 2023 Asia Cup: Fans saw India and Pakistan facing each other in the 9th Match of the tournament. India scored 356, led by Virat Kohli (122*) and KL Rahul (111), after being invited to bat first. Pakistan was sent back to the pavilion with 128 in 32 overs.
6. 2025 ICC Champions Trophy: The matches for India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 were held in the UAE due to security reasons. India and Pakistan also played their match of the championship in Dubai. India triumphed by six wickets with 45 balls remaining, riding on Virat Kohli's century.

India and Pakistan have played numerous matches, with both teams enjoying the taste of success and having periods of dominance. The political tension between the two nations has always impacted the spirit of the sport. Fans and cricket pundits alike expect thrilling and interesting encounters between Pakistan and India on the cricket field, etched with historic moments, significant turning points, nail-biting finishes, and proud moments of victory.