In the world of Cricket, India vs Pakistan is the biggest rivalry and catches the attention of over a billion viewers. Whenever these two teams play each other we are able to witness such intensity and aggression. The rivalry could be considered one of the most fierce in the world due to the political standings between both nations.
History
In 1947, the partition that separated India and Pakistan caused a major divide. The two nations were once one. Sharing an identical culture and language was not enough to keep these two nations on good terms. After the partition, many of the Muslim players for India switched their national side and moved to Pakistan.
You would have former teammates who played for India now compete against each other. More so, during this time both nations were and still are going through political tension.
The 1950’s were a period that would establish this fantastic rivalry within the sport of Cricket. As the ODI World Cup came into existence, the two nations would meet numerous times in some of the most competitive battles.
Pakistan won their first and only World Cup in 1992. Their captain Imran Khan still stands as one of the greatest to play the game. Khan’s success eventually lead him to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
The success and fame of Cricketers in the subcontinent of Southeast Asia can be considered higher than politicians or any other public figure. Cricket stars are looked at as gods almost and can attain a great deal of power at the hands of their people.
India has been one of the most dominant forces in all of Cricket. Winning their first World Cup in 1983, Kapil Dev led an underdog of a team to win the trophy in England. The significance of India winning the World Cup in England will forever be embedded in the history books as the British ruled India for over 200 years.
They would go on to win their second World Cup title in 2011 on their home soil. This team consisted of some of the greatest Indian players in history. THe team which included Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, and a young Virat Kolhi.
Head To Head
In the 7 games both nations have played each other in the ODI World Cup, India has never lost to Pakistan. Pakistan has only beaten India in one T20 World Cup game showing the strength of India in an ultra competitive setting.
In general ODI matches, Pakistan has the matchup advantage with a total win count of 73 matches over India’s 55 wins.
Both nations have a combined population of over 1.6 billion people, making this one of the biggest markets in Sports. Cricket has been a religion almost for both the nations and is the bridge to attempt political peace.
Some say that if India and Pakistan were still one nation they would be the greatest Cricketing team to ever play. I completely agree with this as a combination of both talent pool’s would lead to the ultimate dynasty
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