Background
The rivalry began with the partition of India in 1947, the Independence of Pakistan and the subsequent Kashmir dispute which followed afterward between the two countries. This dispute has affected both diplomatic and political relations, and on the pitch the same animosity between the two teams can be felt. A match between the two countries is often equated with war. During the 2003 Cricket World Cup, an Australian cricket commentator, was quoted as saying on TV "there is always great interest in India and Pakistan for they have fought three wars. There has been no war since 1971. So there is so much more excitement in this match". A critic may dismiss it as a diabolic sense of humour and pardon the imaginative commentator but nevertheless it was not far from the truth.
[edit]Matches
For some years, the Indian and Pakistani cricket teams played each other in non-Test-playing nations such as Canada (Toronto) or the United Arab Emirates (Sharjah), where they would be unlikely to receive a large audience. On many occasions, they have threatened to boycott matches against each other. In this prevailing context, cricket assumes a much larger significance than it should. A loss at the hands of the other was (and still is) considered nothing less than a national failure. Instances of players' homes being pelted after a match was lost are not uncommon. Over-zealous supporters even burn effigies of a losing team's players or even of individual players that had simply performed less than well. A successful team and successful players could expect to be given hero status for months after the victory. Thus both the teams are under tremendous pressure to perform well and win which can make for a very exciting game. After the 1999 Kargil Conflict, much of the hatred transformed into a peaceful rivalry between the teams. They played each other in Australia in the 1999–2000 Triangular Series. The two teams met in the Super Sixes of the 1999 Cricket World Cup, where India won against Pakistan but lost against Australia and New Zealand. Pakistan went on to face Australia in the finals. In the 2003 Cricket World Cup, they again met each other in the Group league match where India achieved a memorable victory and later went on to appear in the finals, but lost to Australia. Then, in the 2003–2004 season, India completed a tour of Pakistan in which there were rare scenes of Indian and Pakistani supporters in unison, followed in early 2005 by a reciprocal tour by Pakistan in India to complete 3 Tests and 6 ODIs. Indian and Pakistani fans joined together in what was described as "cricket diplomacy".[1][2]. They met again in the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa which ended in a tie and had to be decided by a bowl-out, in which India won. Today the match can be referred to as the "Friendship Series". The series between the teams in Canada in the 1990s and early 2000s were officially known as the "Friendship Cup".[3] In early 2009, India was scheduled to begin a tour of Pakistan from January 13 to February 19, 2009, but was canceled because of the tension existing between the two countries after the Mumbai Terrorist Attacks, in November 2008.[4]
[edit]Head-to-Head statistics
As of 13 November 2009.
| Tests[5] | ODIs[6] | Twenty20[7] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches played | 59 | 118 | 2 |
| Won by Pakistan | 12 | 69 | 0 |
| Won by India | 9 | 45 | 1 |
| Draw/Tie/No result | 38 | 4 | 1 |
[edit]Test records
[edit]Highest innings score
- Pakistan – 699/5 – Match drawn at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore – December 1 to December 6, 1989
- India – 675/5d – India beat Pakistan by an innings and 52 runs at Multan Cricket Stadium – March 28, 2004 to April 1, 2004
[edit]Lowest innings score
- India – 156, Pakistan won by an innings and 43 runs at University Ground, Lucknow – October 23 to October 26, 1952
- Pakistan – 116, Pakistan won by 16 runs at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore – March 13 to March 17, 1987
[edit]Highest individual score
- Virender Sehwag (India) - 309 at Multan stadium, on March 28, 2004
- Javed Miandad (Pakistan) – 280n.o. at Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad on January 14, 1983
[edit]Highest total series wicket taker
- Kapil Dev (India) – 99 wickets
- Imran Khan (Pakistan) – 94 wickets
[edit]Best bowling figures
- Anil Kumble (India) – 10/74 at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi on February 7, 1999
- Imran Khan (Pakistan) – 8/60 at National Stadium, Karachi on December 25 to December 27, 1 982
[edit]ODI records
[edit]Highest innings score
- India – 356, India beat Pakistan by 58 runs at ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam on April 5, 2005
- Pakistan – 344, India beat Pakistan by 5 runs at National Stadium, Karachi on March 13, 2004
[edit]Lowest innings score
- India – 79, Pakistan beat India by 8 Wickets at Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot on October 13, 1978
- Pakistan – 87, India beat Pakistan by 38 Runs at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah on March 22, 1985
[edit]Highest total chased
- Pakistan – 322, Pakistan beat India by 4 wickets at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali – Chandigarh on November 8, 2007
- India – 316, India beat Pakistan by 3 Wickets at Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka on Jan 18, 1998
[edit]All-time highest total score
- Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) –1871 Runs
- Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 2389 Runs
[edit]Highest individual score
- Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) – 194 Runs
- M.S. Dhoni (India) – 148 Runs
[edit]All-time highest wicket taker
- Wasim Akram (Pakistan) – 60 Wickets
- Anil Kumble (India) – 54
Wickets
[edit]Best bowling figures
- Aaqib Javed (Pakistan) – 6/37
- Sourav Ganguly (India) – 5/16 at Cricket Skating and Curling Club, Toronto on September 18, 1997
[edit]Memorable moments
[edit]Calcutta Test
The first test match of the Asian Test Championship played at Eden Gardens, Calcutta from 16-20 February, 1999 is arguably the most controversial test encounter the two nations have ever played. The match was and has remained the best-attended cricket match in history with total attendance of around 465,000 people. The game is particularly remembered due to the extraordinary performances by Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar for 4/71 and 4/47, Saeed Anwar for 188 not out for batting throughout the second innings and India's Javagal Srinath for 5 for 46 and 8 for 86. Pakistan won that test by 46 runs.
In 1984, the Indian team lead by Kapil Dev was bowled out for 125 in Sharjah. In dressing room Kapil said to the players that they had nothing to lose, just go and make things difficult for Pakistan. In the reply India bowled out Imran Khan's led Pakistan team for only 87. The most remembered triumph by Indian team against Pakistan.
Anil Kumble is one of the two bowlers in the cricketing history to take 10 wickets in an innings. He achieved this feat against Pakistan. Irfan Pathan became the first person to claim a hat-trick in the first over of a Test match and this feat was achieved against Pakistan too.
Javed Miandad famously tried to imitate Kiran More during a match by jumping on the pitch. A scene questionable, but equally hilarious.
[edit]Records
[edit]Indian supporters
1. Both the teams have won one world cup each as well as one T20 world cup.
2. Both teams have lost one World cup each and that too against the same opponent Australia. India (2003 runners up) and Pakistan (1999 runners up).
3. While being runner ups have both teams shared an unwanted similarity:
India lost the World cup in 2003 with the highest margin of runs: 125 runs at Johannesburg. On the same ground India won T20 final by only 5 runs ( which the lowest margin victory among all the World cups and T20 cups).
Pakistan lost to Australia by 8 wickets at Lords in 1999 and won by 8
wickets against Sri Lanka in 2009 T20 final.
4. Imran Khan and Kapil Dev the winning Captains also have several facts common:
• Imran Khan is the oldest captain to win the World Cup at the age of 39 years and Kapil Dev is the youngest at the age of 24 years!! • Both have taken 23 and only One, 5 wicket haul in Tests and ODI • Both have scored only one ODI hundred • 1992 World cup was the last world cup for both the players and their only World cup in colored clothing.
5. In their winning world cups, India (1983) and Pakistan (1992) has several similarities:
• their man of the matches in final had similar performance:
India: Mohinder Amarnath took 3 wicets and scored 26 runs Pakistan: Wasim Akram took 3 wickets and scored 33 runs
• both teams won their semi finals while chasing a target. India (1983) and Pakistan (1992) • Both teams were out of 2007 World Cup in round one • Total number of wickets lost in 2003 and 1999 finals was also the same 12 each.
- In their World cup victories, the highest wikcet takers were from the winning teams and both took same number of wickets. Rogger binny and Wasim Akram took 18 wickets each in 1983 and 1992 World cups.
• When India won T20 World Cup in 2007 it defeated the same opponent in the earlier stages also. This pattern was also the same in losing Word cup in 2003. India lost both matches to Australia.
However Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka in earlier stages of T20 2009 world cup before defeating the same opponent in final !!! This pattern was also the same in losing Word cup in 1999. Pakistan defeated Australia in the Group stage before losing the finals at Lords.
• Both countries have hosted on world cup final each. India 1987 and Pakistan 1996 • Both teams lost the semi finals and that too chasing targets in 1987 World cup • Both teams have won their World cups when the runners up were playing their third final. West Indies and England played their 3rd final in 1983 and 1992.
