The Ongoing 2023 World Cup is grabbing lots of eyeballs and already the World Cup has seen some great action. Out of all the matches in the World Cup, one head-to-head match is most anticipated has to be the India-Pakistan Clash. Since 1975 till date, these two powerhouses in world cricket have thrilled fans with some memorable encounters with India coming out trumps on all 8 occasions.
Here is a look at the 8 times when India took on Pakistan in cricket’s biggest tournament.
Presented By: Raghunath Nair
Prior to 1992, India and Pakistan never met each other in past World Cup editions and the cricket world probably had not gaged the sheer competitiveness both teams brought into the game and the impact it leaves on the tournament. While the initial editions of World Cups didn’t see the Asian giants play against each other as both teams were put in different groups. This also meant that both teams did not get the chance to play a World Cup match against each other with the red cherry.
Please read: Why Has India and Pakistan Never Faced the Red Ball in World Cup Matches?
India and Pakistan clashed with each other in 1992 for the first time in World Cup history. Since then both teams have met each other 8 times latest being in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup being held in India.
1992- Sydney, Australia: 
Due to their political differences, bilateral tournaments between the two nations have not been played since 1990. Playing at Sharjah was the only exception then.
India– Pakistan clash was played in Sydney. India was put into bat in a 49-over rain-curtailed match.
After a slow and sedate start, India was able to improve their run rate because of Sachin Tendulkar who played a brilliant unbeaten innings of 62 and a quick-fire knock of 35 in 26 balls Kapil Dev. India was able to make 216 in their allotted 49 overs.
Pakistan was on course with their chase with 105 on board losing only 2 wickets. Aamer Sohail (62) and Javed Miandad (40) were key for Pakistan. Pakistan saw an epic collapse and lost all their remaining wicket and was bowled out for 173 giving India a comfortable 43-run win.
Key Moments
- Player of the Match: Sachin Tendulkar
- The argument on the field between Kiran More and Javed Miandad
Javed Miandad mimicked Kiran More's way of appealing by repeatedly jumping up & down! #INDvPAK #INDvsPAK #WorldCup2023
— ICC Cricket World Cup 🏆 (@ICCWorldCupIN) August 30, 2023
pic.twitter.com/LIJKLIezsS
India emerged victorious in this clash but Pakistan went on to win the tournament and lift the cup.
1996, Bangalore, India
The 1996 World Cup was hosted by India and the epic clash was played in the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore.
The Old Group Format was again used and the two teams met in a knockout Quarter final.
India again batted first and a brilliant Navjot Singh Sidhu 93 along with a quick-fire 45 of just 25 balls by Ajay Jadeja propelled the score to 287/8. The score was chaseable in the batting-friendly Bangalore Pitch.
Pakistan’s Stand-in Captain Aamer Sohail in the absence of the Injured Wasim Akram gave Pakistan a quick 84 runs first wicker Partnership in 10 overs. High Drama followed between Aamer Sohail and Venkatesh Prasad in the 15th over which led to the dismissal of Aamer Sohail which triggered a massive Pakistan Collapse and Pakistan chase ended at 248 for 9 falling short by 39 runs.
Key Moments
- Player of the Match: Navjot Singh Sidhu
- The dismissal of Aamer Sohail
- Pakistan were knocked out of the tournament
- Last match of Javed Miandad
Today in @bira91's @cricketworldcup Greastest Moments we go back to 1996, when Venkatesh Prasad had the last laugh against Aamer Sohail in the quarter-final between India and Pakistan in Bengaluru! pic.twitter.com/yExBtPtq5E
— ICC (@ICC) March 26, 2019
1999, Old Trafford, England
England hosting the 1999 World Cup happened in the backdrop of the Kargil war. Emotions were flying high and the tension in the air was at its highest. India again batted first and scored 227 runs in their allotted overs. Like in the previous edition, the targets were always chaseable but an India–Pakistan clash brings its own level of unimaginable pressure. During the chase, for India, Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Azharuddin played important knocks.
Pakistan like in previous editions started well and the chase looked achievable when the team was at 44 for 1.
The Bowling Hero of the 1996 India win against Pakistan, Venkatesh Prasad did not disappoint his fans with yet another masterclass bowling display taking 5 of the Pakistani wickets for just 27 runs. This brilliant bowling performance helped India to close down any hopes for Pakistan in their chase who was all out for 180 runs.
Key Moments
- Player of the Match: Venkatesh Prasad
- India won by 47 runs
India 3 Pakistan 0
— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) October 14, 2023
In 1999, India beat Pakistan for third consecutive time in a World Cup clash.
Dravid 65, Azhar 59, Sachin 45
But the man who steal the show Venkatesh Prasad, took 5 wickets at The Old Trafford!
Malik☝️
Anwar☝️
Khan☝️
Inzamam☝️
Akram☝️pic.twitter.com/DexJJhRwA5
2003, Centurian, South Africa
Centurian was the venue for the 2003 clash between the two neighbours and Pakistan was hopeful to change the tide in their favor with their lethal bowling attack in bowler-friendly conditions in South Africa.
Talks had resumed between the two countries and a cricket revival was anticipated soon. In this backdrop, the World Cup was being played which eased the atmosphere around the game a bit.
Unlike in the past edition, Pakistan batted first and this turned out to be great news for the men in green with the team putting up a healthy score of 273-7. Saeed Anwar scored a brilliant century which helped Pakistan to score an above-par total.
The Centurian crowd was blessed to witness one of the best Sachin Tendulkar innings in this format.
While Virendra Sehwag was touted to be the aggressive batsman, it was Sachin who dazzled the audience with some breathtaking shots and made a 75-ball 99 runs which laid the foundation for a famous India chase in the World Cup.
Yuvaraj And Dravid were in the middle hitting the winning runs for the Indian Team.
Key Moments
- India won by 6 wickets with 26 balls to spare
- Player of the Match: Sachin Tendulkar
6-0
— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) October 14, 2023
In 2015, India beat Pakistan for the 6th consecutive time in World Cup.
Virat Kohli became the first Indian to score a hundred v Pakistan in a World Cup Match.
IND 300/7 (Kohli 107, Dhawan 73, Raina 74, Sohail 5-55)
PAK 244 (Misbah 76, Shami 4-35)pic.twitter.com/EwkAu4J9bj
2019, Old Trafford, England
England’s Old Trafford 2023 after 1999 again hosted this epic clash between the two neighbours from the subcontinent.
Batting First, Rohit Sharma made a brilliant 140 runs in only 113 balls which propelled the Indian score to 337 runs for the Pakistan team to chase.
The English Weather was at its worst and halted the game multiple times which also did not help the chase. Only Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam made some significant contributions but the team never looked to threaten the Indian total in the entire match and it eventually became a one-sided affair with India winning by 89 runs in the DLS method
Key Moments
- India won by 89 runs (DLS Method)
- Player of the Match: Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma smashed 140(113) and won the Player of the match award when last time India played against Pakistan in World Cup in 2019.
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) October 14, 2023
- The Hitman of World Cricket..!!pic.twitter.com/CxDgXIXnRg
2023 Ahmedabad, India
India and Pakistan met in the group stage of the ongoing 2023 which turned out to be yet another one-sided affair like in the 2019 edition. The Grand Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad was the venue for the most anticipated match of the 2023 edition.
Pakistan batted first in a batting-friendly wicket and was expected to score heavily which would have given them the advantage of defending in lights with their impressive bowling lineup.
Pakistan was poised for a good total as their opening batsmen gave the team a strong start. After the openers fell, both captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan steadied the innings. While their partnership was crucial, their innings were excruciatingly slow and were criticized very heavily by their fans.
The Indian Bowlers kept a tight leash on the batting and did not allow the game to drift with regular wickets. Jasprit Bumrah was at his best and was making a comeback in this World Cup after a long layoff due to Injury. His wickets came at the right time for the Indian team which helped other bowlers to also dominate the batsmen in the middle overs. Pakistan‘s batting collapsed after Babar and Rizwan fell. Pakistan was all-out for 191 runs, the lowest total in any India–Pakistan World Cup encounter.
India‘s batting came all guns blazing and did not allow Pakistan‘s bowling to settle with Rohit Sharma at his aggressive best. His 63 balls 83 runs made the Indian chase look like child’s play. Shreyas Iyer (53) and K.L Rahul were at the crease to hit the winning runs in the 31st over to complete an 8-0 unblemished record for the Indian Team against Pakistan in the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup.
Key Moments
- Player of the Match: Jasprit Bumrah
India won by 7 wickets
India beat Australia by 6 wickets.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 14, 2023
India beat Pakistan by 7 wickets.
India beat Afghanistan by 8 wickets.
Domination by 🇮🇳 in World Cup 2023. pic.twitter.com/e1n1ljVjAx
Conclusion
The India Pakistan Clash always spices up any Cricket World Cup purely for the passionate fans from both sides. While India enjoys the head-to-head lead between the two countries, the level of euphoria attached to the clash will remain at the top in any ICC Event in the future.
Leave A Comment