In the world of sports, few rivalries come close to the intensity, the emotion, and the drama of cricket matches between India vs Pakistan. The contests are much more than just a game; they are a history-laden clash, filled with emotions of passion and national pride. Since 1952, when the two nations first met, India and Pakistan have played each other in every format: Test cricket, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), with each game echoing the millions of expectations from fans, often with the players producing great moments under immense pressure.
Through the most recent records until 2025, this article will provide an in-depth look at head-to-head match results in all formats of the game between the two rival nations; an overview of winning and losing, iconic matches, and how each team has had its share of dominance over the years.
Overall Summary of India vs Pakistan Head-to-Head (All Formats)
| Format | Matches | India Wins | Pakistan Wins | Drawn | No Result | Tied |
| Tests | 59 | 9 | 12 | 38 | 0 | 0 |
| ODIs | 136 | 58 | 73 | – | 5 | 0 |
| T20Is | 13 | 10 | 3 | – | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 208 | 77 | 88 | 38 | 5 | 0 |
Test Matches: A Story of Draws & Selective Magic
India and Pakistan have played 59 Test matches against each other since the first series they played in 1952. Most of the early matches were hard-fought but ended up being a draw, unlike today’s faster-paced formats. The evidence speaks for itself, when looking at the records of the two teams, out of these 59 matches, 38 matches ended in a stalemate – reflecting the conservative nature of Test cricket between two teams who were evenly matched in terms of quality.
The longest played format has overwhelmingly favoured Pakistan, who have won 12 of the matches compared to 9 for India. The first Test series in 1952-53 is especially historic. India had first hosted Pakistan, winning the series 2-1. This was India’s first-ever win over Pakistan, as well as igniting what would become an amazing saga of competitive cricket.
The 1980s and early 1990s included long episodes of drawn matches due to flat pitches and plateaus of anxious play. However, the 1999 Test series, which included Pakistan winning a nail-biter in Chennai by merely 12 runs, was a watershed moment in modern cricket – this match remains unforgettable, especially for the reception of both teams from the Chennai crowd.
The Indian resurgence in Test cricket began in the early 2000s when they achieved to historic innings victory over Pakistan in Multan in 2004, a Test famous for Virender Sehwag’s 300. However, Pakistan quickly struck back during the 2005-06 Test series in Karachi, where they won by an incredible innings and 342 runs.
There has been a significant decrease in the number of Test matches played in recent years, which has decreased the fervor of the Test rivalry due to political relations between both nations, but the Test rivalry is still an iconic part of the history of both cricket and sport.
One Day Internationals: The early dominance of Pakistan and the modern era dominance of India
The ODI rivalry began in 1978 and since then, they have played a total of 136 matches. Pakistan have won 73, India have won 58, and 5 matches have had no result. However, those records do not tell you the complete story.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, the Pakistani ODI team was undisputedly better than the Indian ODI team, represented by stars such as Imran Khan, Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram. Their wins in Sharjah became the angst of Indian cricketers and fans, all of which resulted in one reminiscence of their multitude of painful losses that guilt-tripped and eluded them. Yet the most painful memory would be the 1986 Austral-Asia Cup final, when, with the last ball, Javed Miandad smacked Chetan Sharma for a six, which continues to generate anguish on either side of the border.
But by the late 1990s, early 2000s, this was beginning to change with India being represented by players like Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar and continuing with MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. The turning point was the World Cup in 2003 when India beat Pakistan, more prominently Tendulkar’s innings at Centurion – this would be the ultimate psychological victory for India, which is evident with our winning record of seven out of seven wins against Pakistan in World Cups in 2011, 2015 and 2019.
In Ahmedabad, India provided its most dominant display in World Cup competition against its oldest rival in a seven-wicket win in 2023 ICC World Cup. In addition, India forced Pakistan into its worst defeat in the last five years at the 2023 Asia Cup by 228 runs (the worst in its history). Furthermore, in the last few years, India has also had some consistency in ICC tournaments, while the number of bilateral series in recent years has decreased. While Pakistan may have a lead over India in ODIs, the context surrounding that statistic in this period of Indian cricket is India’s dominance on the bigger, international stage, and in particular, World Cups and Asia Cups.
T20 Cricket and India
Pakistan played India in T20 cricket for the first time in 2007 during the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa. There were two matches against each other in the pool phase. In the first match, the sides were tied and India won the bowl-out. In a later fixture a couple of days later, India beat Pakistan in the final to win the first T20 World Cup Trophy, and hence T20 cricket became part of the bound history of Pakistan-India cricket.
India have been the supreme team in T20 cricket since, they have won 10 of the last 13 matches, with Pakistan winning just 3 times: 2012, 2021 and 2022. Some of the notable wins have happened against India in T20 cricket, with the 2021 T20 World Cup match in Dubai, in which, for the first time, they beat India by 10 wickets, a brilliant piece of play by the Pakistan team and a memorable moment for Pakistan cricket.
In true style, India responded to their most recent T20 World Cup encounter in 2022, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with a furious display of batting by Virat Kohli, who produced one of the great T20 innings, delivering a miracle finish in a great win at the last ball of the last over. The most recent T20 World Cup, played in 2024, at the new Nassau County Stadium in the USA, saw India win again in a nail-biter by only 6 runs, ensuring India’s hold on the T20 game.
It is abundantly clear that T20s are the new face of cricket, and India’s superior record against Pakistan is all about India’s game planning, hitting power, and patience under pressure.
Changing Dynamics and Rare Bilateral Engagements
One of the hallmark features of this rivalry, especially, is the ridiculous situation of bilateral series in recent decades. Mostly because of ongoing political and diplomatic conflicts between the countries, the only cricket that both teams have engaged in has been at the ICC and ACC level events since the late 2000s.
The last bilateral full series hosting both teams was in 2012-13 and since then, all matches have taken place at neutral venues in regional/global events.
This shift in engagements is significant for this rivalry; it has shifted each bilateral full series from a commonplace cricket contest to a unique high-voltage event with an international audience attached to it. Every India-Pakistan is treated as a headline event; millions of fans all around the world tune in to watch the match. Because of this rarity, the dynamic of significance of the rivalry has increased multifold as each match becomes a mini final.
The India vs Pakistan cricket rivalry is more than just a numbers game. It is a cultural phenomenon deeply ingrained within the identity of both nations. Players are often faced with serious pressure, sometimes at immense personal cost, fully aware that their performance in these matches can be the defining moment of their legacy. And there have been players who have risen to the occasion in aplomb – Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, among many others.
Fans feel the burden associated with national pride, too. Streets fall silent, offices empty out, and television ratings on national channels go through the roof with millions of viewers whenever these two sides come together. The pre-match build-up, the tension during and the post-match chat last for days, if not weeks. Even neutral fans around the world will tune in because an India vs Pakistan encounter is always cricket in its rawest and most enabling form.
Conclusion
India and Pakistan have come to have one of the most exciting rivalries in sport. Pakistan holds the edge in Tests and in ODIs, though India has the edge in World Cups. In T20Is, India clearly reigns supreme. But statistics aside, what gives this rivalry its legendary status is the sheer passion involved. The excitement of a nail-biting contest, the devastation of a last-ball loss, and the joy of representing the pride of a nation.
Looking to the future, as long as there continues to be a possibility of India-Pakistan cricket matches, they will always have the potential for intensity. No matter the venue and no matter the format, these two teams will elicit the fact that cricket is not only a game, but the game will become history.
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