One of the greatest and biggest fixtures in world cricket is the India vs Pakistan match. Since they aren’t playing Test cricket anymore (India and Pakistan haven’t played a Test match since 2007, when Pakistan toured India), India and Pakistan only play against each other in white-ball cricket and in ICC Tournaments.
They don’t play bilaterals either. Last night, i.e., 15th February 2026, India and Pakistan played their 9th encounter in the T20 World Cup. As expected, it was a clear victory for India.
So, this raises the question that has been on many people’s minds of late. Is India vs Pakistan the greatest rivalry ever anymore?
Well, the simple answer to the question is ‘Yes’. Historically, the India vs Pakistan match has been a close encounter with some really good cricket to watch. It was forever fueled by the geopolitical tensions between the two countries, which made the game even more exciting. India gained Independence in 1947, and so did Pakistan take birth as a nation.
As cricket gained traction in both nations soon after, other geopolitical events also broke out. One of the most famous events was the 1971 Indo-Pak war, after which tensions rose immensely between the two nations.
They continued to get better in cricket as well, and thus began a fresh, new rivalry. The 1999 Kargil War and the subsequent battles and unfortunate events further exacerbated this rivalry.
For a long period of time, perhaps from the 1970s and through the 1980s, Pakistan was clearly the better side of the two countries. They are still ahead in head-to-head in ODIs against India.
However, with the dawn of the 1990s and the 2000s, as India started producing fresh new talents, the rivalry domination started to shift a little bit. Pakistan was still a very strong side and won every now and then against India. But India was clearly better than what they were in the 1980s.
Post the 2008 Mumbai Attacks (26/11 Attacks), all bilateral ties between India and Pakistan halted. Neither nation toured the other, even though a single ODI tour to India in 2013 by Pakistan comes to mind.
Ever since then, the rivalry has completely shifted gears. And as India kept getting better and better in cricket, Pakistan is no longer the threat to India as it used to be.
However, the fans still enjoy it. And perhaps that’s why it remains one of the greatest rivalries still. Needless to say, the geopolitical history, amidst the current situation, always plays a part in driving this hype of rivalry. But whatever the case may be, ICC banks on it and schedules an India vs Pakistan game every time in the same group of an ICC tournament.
A Hindustan Times report suggests that the India vs Pakistan group stage game at the 2026 T20 World Cup is worth $180 million. That is over INR 1600 crores in value. It is too big a game for the ICC to even prioritize anything else besides putting these two teams in the same group every time.
A lot of people have called out the ICC for compromising sporting integrity over monetary value by scheduling a compulsory India vs Pakistan game in every tournament. But if the ICC doesn’t do that, and they risk a chance of the India vs Pakistan game happening, then they could potentially lose out on a lot of money. Therefore, you will most certainly get an India vs Pakistan draw in any forthcoming ICC tournaments, too.
Now, about the match itself, why did it feel like it’s not a rivalry anymore? India met Pakistan last night for the 9th time in their T20 World Cup history. Outside of a loss in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, where Pakistan gave India a 100-wicket drubbing, India has won on every single occasion.
From twice in the inaugural edition in 2007 (when India won a bowl-out) to other times in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2022, 2024, and 2026, India has beaten Pakistan every time. And with every single edition, the Indian victory has been more and more convincing and consolidating.
India beat Pakistan by 61 runs last night, after being put in to bat. The match was played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, where the pitch was a spin-friendly, slow track that suited the Pakistani players.
While it didn’t mean that India was the weaker of the two sides, it did, in fact, mean that Pakistan had a better chance of winning on that track than anywhere else. But even with that support, Pakistan botched up its opportunity.
Salman Ali Agha, the Pakistan captain, won the toss and decided to bowl first, a decision that was being questioned by others outside the game. Then India put up a huge total of 175/7 on a slow and difficult track. As it turned out, that score was much bigger than what was required.
Pakistan lost 3 wickets in the first two overs, with Hardik Pandya giving a maiden-wicket over and Jasprit Bumrah picking up two wickets in the second over. The game had already slanted to one side from there. It was only going downhill from there.
India eventually bowled Pakistan out for 114 and won the match by 61 runs comprehensively. While the debate continues for now, whether India and Pakistan are a relevant rivalry or not, the competition continues to create excitement, and it continues to drive ticket sales, and it continues to churn out good enough for everybody to remain interested.
