India vs Pakistan - The Greatest Cricket Rivalry is Here, AGAIN!

India vs Pakistan - The Greatest Cricket Rivalry is Here, AGAIN!

It's here, it's finally here! The mother of all rivalries is here. There's a buzz in the air, which only emanates when the two sides go to battle. Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agah in the press conferences were pretty clear with how they look at this contest. Both teams have won two out of two and will look to seal this fixture to gain the top spot. The build-up to the game was peculiar. The Pakistan Cricket Board decided to forfeit 'this particular fixture', but it has all panned down to this. It's finally happening.

Which side has got the better spin department? Which side has got the better power-players? The rankings favour the Indians, the recent meetings also does, but in Pakistan they have 'mercurial' opponents. The stage is set - for once all the tensions between the two sides will be put aside and cricketing IQ will arise. It's India vs Pakistan and it doesn't get better than this.

In the recent head-to-head records and team forms, India maintains a significant historical and psychological advantage, while both teams enter this fixture with strong recent momentum.

Head-to-Head Records

India's dominance over Pakistan is particularly evident in the T20 World Cup context, where they hold a commanding 7-1 lead. In the broader picture of the last decade, Pakistan has managed only three wins against India compared to 17 defeats.

• Asia Cup Dominance: India recently won three consecutive games against Pakistan at the Asia Cup, demonstrating versatility by winning once with the ball, once with the bat, and once through psychological pressure.

• World Cup Heartbreak for Pakistan: While Pakistan secured a famous 10-wicket win in 2021, they narrowly lost subsequent World Cup encounters in Melbourne (2022) and New York (2024) after being in winning positions.

• Individual Matchups: Hardik Pandya has been a consistent threat, taking 15 wickets at an average of 14.60 against Pakistan and never going wicketless in games where he bowled. Conversely, Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan has shown recent success against India, scoring two half-centuries in the Asia Cup and notably maintaining a 150 strike rate against Jasprit Bumrah without losing his wicket.

Recent Team Form

Both teams are currently performing at a high level entering this match:

• Winning Streaks: Pakistan comes into the game with a perfect recent record of WWWWW (five consecutive wins) in completed T20Is. India is also in strong form with a WWWLW record.

• Current Tournament Progress: Both sides have started the T20 World Cup 2025/26 strongly, each compiling 2-0 records against lower-ranked opposition to secure their positions before this marquee clash.

While the form guide suggests a closely contested battle, India holds a "cricitng and psychological edge" due to their ability to find ways to win in high-pressure moments where Pakistan has previously faltered.

Abhishek Sharma vs. Shaheen Shah Afridi

This is a battle of contrasting strengths at the very start of the innings. Abhishek Sharma enters the game with a remarkable T20I strike rate of 194.45 since the beginning of 2024, the highest among batters with at least 500 runs. He will be facing Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has been the most lethal first-over bowler from Full Member teams in that same period, claiming 15 wickets in the opening over.

Sahibzada Farhan vs. Jasprit Bumrah

While Jasprit Bumrah is widely considered difficult to score against, Sahibzada Farhan has shown unique comfort against him. In previous encounters, Farhan scored at a strike rate of 150 against Bumrah without losing his wicket, hitting him for three sixes—more than any other batter has managed against Bumrah in their T20I careers. Pakistan likely views Farhan's ability to handle Bumrah as a critical factor in getting off to a strong start.

Hardik Pandya vs. Pakistan’s Top/Middle Order

Hardik Pandya is described as Pakistan's "bogeyman" due to his exceptional record against them. He has never gone wicketless in a T20I against Pakistan when he has bowled, taking 15 wickets at an average of 14.60. In their most recent meetings, he has been responsible for the dismissals of key players like Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, and Fakhar Zaman.

Babar Azam vs. India’s Spin Battery

Pakistan has chosen to stick with Babar Azam in the middle order, a tactical move that will see him face India's specialized spin attack. India is considering adding even more variety by potentially bringing in Kuldeep Yadav or Washington Sundar to join Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy. Babar’s ability to anchor the innings against this "dazzling world-class variety" of spin will be a defining factor in the middle overs.

India vs Pakistan - Best Playing XIs

India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Tariq and, Abrar Ahmed

Who do you think will win the India vs Pakistan contest? Will it be a thriller, like it always does or will it be a one-sided fixture? Hold tight, gear up because this ride is going to get topsy turvy.