Although the T20 World Cup Super 12 will begin with a massive clash against the 2021 edition's finalists Australia and New Zealand, all eyes will undoubtedly be on Sunday's (October 23) massive clash between bitter rivals Pakistan and India. The match, which is set to take place in Melbourne, will also mark the beginning of the T20 World Cup campaigns for both teams, increasing a weightage of a positive result.
Head-to-head record
India and Pakistan have faced off against each other six times in ICC T20 World Cup tournaments. Of these six matches, the Men in Blue have won four times and their opponents have secured victory just once. Meanwhile, only one match was tied between the two sides. The highest total posted by India is 157 runs, and the highest score posted by Pakistan is 152. 118 is the lowest total posted by Pakistan and 119 is the lowest total posted by India in the marquee event.
Indian dominance
The inaugural T20 World Cup was held in 2007. The first edition of the marquee cricket tournament was played in South Africa and the fans got to India and Pakistan face off twice! Team India, captained by MS Dhoni, defeated Pakistan by the bowl-out rule after their group stage match was tied.
Their second match against each other was played in the hotly-contested final. Team India won the inaugural T20 World Cup title by defeating Pakistan by five runs. Following this, in the 2012 T20 World Cup, India defeated Pakistan yet again, this time by eight wickets. During the 2014 T20 World Cup, India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets, and in 2016 Team India was victorious again, this time by six wickets.
First loss at T20 World Cup for India vs Pakistan
But their brilliant run against Pakistan in the World Cup stage ended in 2021 with a debilitating 10-wicket loss. Under the captaincy of Babar Azam, the opener, along with Mohammad Rizwan, helped the side chase down 152 runs without losing a single wicket! In this match, it was Shaheen Afridi that dismantled the top order of Team India with his deadly bowling. But a new-look side, now led by Rohit Sharma, would like to turn the tables on their opponents and take revenge foe the loss.
