India–Pakistan sports rivalries
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
India and Pakistan are frequent rivals across a variety of sports, with matches between the two countries considered to be some of the most intense in the world, especially in cricket.[1] The tense relations between the two nations which emerged from bitter diplomatic relationships and conflict that originated during the Partition of British India into India and Pakistan in 1947, the India–Pakistan wars, and the Kashmir conflict established the foundations for the emergence of an intense sporting rivalry between the two nations.[2]
Olympics
India and Pakistan first participated at the 1900 and 1948 Olympic Games respectively.[3][4][5] India has outranked Pakistan in all editions of the Olympic Games, except on seven occasions (1960, 1968, 1972, 1984, 1988, 1992 and 2024), when Pakistan finished higher in the medal tally.[6]
As of 2024 Paris Olympic Games
 India |
 Pakistan | |
| Medal Ranking | 58th | 78th |
| Gold | 10 | 4 |
| Silver | 10 | 3 |
| Bronze | 21 | 4 |
| Total | 41 | 11 |
- Bold indicates most wins
Asian Games
Commonwealth Games
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The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games,[11] are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. India and Pakistan participated their first commonwealth games in 1934 and 1954 respectively.
India hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.[12][13][14][15]
As of 2026 Commonwealth Games
India |
Pakistan | |
| Medal Ranking | 4th | 15th |
| Gold | 215 | 27 |
| Silver | 207 | 27 |
| Bronze | 180 | 29 |
| Total | 602 | 83 |
- Bold indicates most wins
South Asian Games
India and Pakistan participated all the editions of South Asian Games. India hosted the multi-sport event 3 times (1987, 1995, 2016) and Pakistan also hosted this event 3 times (1989, 2004, 2025).[16][17][18][19]
As of 2019 South Asian Games
India |
Pakistan | |
| Medal Ranking | 1st | 2nd |
| Gold | 1263 | 297 |
| Silver | 736 | 421 |
| Bronze | 379 | 432 |
| Total | 2378 | 1150 |
- Bold indicates most wins
Association football
Pakistan and India national football teams rivalry often attract sizeable crowds.[20][21][22] The two teams first met at the 1952 Colombo Cup, which ended in a goalless draw and both teams crowned champions of the tournament. India first won at the consequent 1953 Colombo Cup with a 1–0 win, with Neville D'Souza scoring a goal. Pakistan men’s football team recorded its first official win over India at the 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualification in 1959, with Abdullah Rahi netting the winner.[23] In addition, both teams have faced each other two times in unofficial exhibition matches after the finalisation of the 1953 and 1955 Colombo Cup editions, with Pakistan winning both times by 1–0.[24]
Summary of Overall Results
Men's matches
As of 21 June 2023[A]
| Total | In India | In Pakistan | Neutral Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 27 | 8 | 5 | 14 |
India Won | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
Pakistan Won | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Draws | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
- Bold indicates most wins
Most Goals
India: 42 Goals
Pakistan: 19 Goals
- The Largest victory between this two nations is favour to India.
India 4–0 Pakistan[26] (2023 SAFF Championship, 21 June 2023)
Women's matches
As of 7 September 2022
| Total | In India | In Pakistan | Neutral Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
India Won | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Pakistan Won | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Draws | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| # | Date | Venue | Competition | Home team | Score | Away team | Goals (home) | Goals (away) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 January 2010 | National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh | 2010 South Asian Games | India |
6–0 | Pakistan |
Sasmita Malik  7', 28'Bembem Devi 10', 11', 17'Laishram Naobi Chanu 90' |
|
| 2 | 20 December 2010 | Cox's Bazar Stadium, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh | 2010 SAFF Championship | India |
8–0 | Pakistan |
Bala Devi 18', 31', 32'
Gayatri Mallick |
|
| 3 | 7 September 2022 | Dasharath Rangasala, Kathmandu, Nepal | 2022 SAFF Championship | India |
3–0 | Pakistan |
Maria  21' (o.g.) Grace 23' Soumya 90+4' |
|
| 4 | 17 October 2024 | Dasharath Rangasala, Kathmandu, Nepal | 2024 SAFF Championship | Pakistan |
2–5 | India |
Suha Hirani 45+2' (pen.)
Kayla Siddiqi |
Dangmei 5', 42'
|
- Bold indicates most wins
Most Goals
India: 22 Goals
Pakistan: 2 Goals
- The Largest victory between this two nations is favour to India.
India 8–0 Pakistan[27][28] (2010 SAFF Women's Championship, 20 December 2010)
Athletics
As of August 2024, India and Pakistan faced in several athletic events at both continent level and international level.
Summer Olympics
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 1 | 1 |
| Silver | 3 | 0 |
| Bronze | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 1 |
World Athletic Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 1 | 0 |
| Silver | 1 | 1 |
| Bronze | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 1 |
Asian Athletic Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 102 | 2 |
| Silver | 130 | 3 |
| Bronze | 146 | 3 |
| Total | 378 | 8 |
Asian Indoor Athletic Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 13 | 0 |
| Silver | 30 | 1 |
| Bronze | 21 | 1 |
| Total | 64 | 2 |
Asian Marathon Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 3 | 0 |
| Silver | 1 | 0 |
| Bronze | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 0 |
Asian Cross Country Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 7 | 0 |
| Silver | 15 | 1 |
| Bronze | 13 | 1 |
| Total | 35 | 2 |
Asian Race Walking Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 2 | 0 |
| Silver | 2 | 0 |
| Bronze | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 0 |
- Bold indicates most wins
Badminton
As of 2022, Pakistan is yet to win any medal in major tournaments.
World Championship matches
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 1 | 0 |
| Silver | 4 | 0 |
| Bronze | 9 | 0 |
| Total | 14 | 0 |
Thomas & Uber Cup
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 1 | 0 |
| Silver | 0 | 0 |
| Bronze | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 0 |
Asian Badminton Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 2 | 0 |
| Silver | 0 | 0 |
| Bronze | 16 | 0 |
| Total | 18 | 0 |
Asian Badminton Team Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 1 | 0 |
| Silver | 1 | 0 |
| Bronze | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 0 |
- Bold indicates most wins
Basketball
Men's
| Tournament | Matches played | India won |
Pakistan won |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIBA Asia Cup | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Chess
As of 2023, Pakistan is yet to win any medal in major tournaments.[29]
World Championship matches
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 1 | 0 |
| Silver | 1 | 0 |
| Bronze | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 |
International Chess Olympiad
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 2 | 0 |
| Silver | 0 | 0 |
| Bronze | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 0 |
Asian Team Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 3 | 0 |
| Silver | 11 | 0 |
| Bronze | 7 | 0 |
| Total | 21 | 0 |
- Bold indicates most wins
Men's cricket
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The two sides first played in 1952, when Pakistan toured India. Test and, later, limited overs series have been played ever since, although a number of planned tours by both sides have been cancelled or aborted due to political factors. No cricket was played between the two countries between 1962 and 1977 due to two major wars in 1965 and 1971 and the 1999 Kargil War and the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks have also interrupted cricketing ties between the two nations.[30]
Head-to-head in ICC tournaments
| Tournament | Matches played | India wins |
Pakistan wins |
No result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Cup | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| T20 World Cup | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Champions Trophy | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 23 | 19 | 4 | 0 |
Head-to-head in ACC tournaments
| Tournament | Matches played | India wins |
Pakistan wins |
No result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Cup (ODI) | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2[B] |
| Asia Cup (Twenty20) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Asian Test Championship | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 |
Overall summary of results
Women's cricket
Head-to-head in ICC tournaments
| Tournament | Matches played | India women's wins |
Pakistan women's wins |
No result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's World Cup | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Women's T20 World Cup | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
Head-to-head in ACC tournaments
| Tournament | Matches played | India women's wins |
Pakistan women's wins |
No result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Asia Cup (ODI) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Women's Asia Cup (Twenty20) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
Overall summary of results
| Format | Matches played | India women's wins |
Pakistan women's wins |
No result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | |
| T20I | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 29 | 26 | 3 | 0 |
Men's field hockey
_Saravanjit_Singh_of_India_scoring_a_goal_against_Pakistan,_at_Dhayan_Chand_National_Stadium,_in_New_Delhi_on_October_10_2010.jpg)
The rivalry is among the most intense sports rivalries in the Asia and the world in the sport of field hockey. They participate in World Cup, FIH Pro League, Summer Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asia Cup, Men's Asian Champions Trophy, Asian Games, South Asian Games and Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
Head to Head in Tournaments
Source:[33]
| Tournament | Matches | Results | Goals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India |
Pakistan |
Draw | India |
Pakistan | |||
| Test series | 52 | 16 | 25 | 11 | 104 | 124 | |
| Summer Olympics | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 | |
| World Cup | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 10 | |
| FIH Pro League | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | |
| Champions Trophy | 19 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 48 | 54 | |
| Asian Games | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 27 | 31 | |
| Asia Cup | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 20 | |
| Asian Hockey Champions Trophy | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 32 | 22 | |
| Commonwealth Games | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 | |
| FIH Hockey World League | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 4 | |
| Afro-Asian Games | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | |
| Other Matches (Continent wise) | |||||||
| Africa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | |
| Americas | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | |
| Asia | 34 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 65 | 67 | |
| Europe | 10 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 16 | 33 | |
| Oceania | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 9 | |
| Total | 184 | 70 | 82 | 32 | 395 | 410 | |
Summary of overall results
Source:[34]
| Year | Matches | Results | Goals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India won |
Pakistan won |
Draw | India |
Pakistan | ||
| 1950s | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960s | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 1970s | 13 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 27 |
| 1980s | 46 | 14 | 22 | 10 | 79 | 111 |
| 1990s | 26 | 9 | 13 | 4 | 52 | 62 |
| 2000s | 47 | 14 | 27 | 6 | 108 | 128 |
| 2010s | 35 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 102 | 62 |
| 2020s | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 15 |
| Total | 184 | 70 | 82 | 32 | 395 | 410 |
- The Largest victory between this two nations is favour to India.
India 10–2 Pakistan[35] (Asian Games, 30 Sep 2023)
U21
| Matches | Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India won |
Pakistan won |
Draw | ||
| 1980s | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1990s | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010s | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| 2020s | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 |
U18
| Matches | Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India won |
Pakistan won |
Draw | ||
| 2000s | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Senior Hockey5s
| Year | Matches | Results | Goals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India won |
Pakistan won |
Draw | India |
Pakistan | ||
| 2020s | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 11 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 11 |
U18 Hockey5s
| Year | Matches | Results | Goals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India won |
Pakistan won |
Draw | India |
Pakistan | ||
| 2020s | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 8 |
| Total | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 8 |
Women's field hockey
Indian women hockey are much ahead when it comes to winning major tournaments.[38] Pakistani women's team has been weaker competitively and is yet to win a medal in major tournament.
Indian Women
| Tournament | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Nations Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Asian Games | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Commonwealth Games | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Asia Cup | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| Asian Champions Trophy | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Champions Challenge | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Afro-Asian Games | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Hockey Series | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| South Asian Games | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 10 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
Pakistan Women
| Tournament | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Handball
Men's
| Tournament | Matches played | India won |
Pakistan won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Games | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| South Asian Games | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| South Asian Handball Championship[39] | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 5 | 2 |
Women's
| Tournament | Matches played | India won |
Pakistan won |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Asian Games | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| South Asian Handball Championship | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| IHF Trophy South Central Asia[40] | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Kabaddi
It is popular in the Indian subcontinent and other surrounding Asian countries. Although accounts of kabaddi appear in the histories of ancient India, the game was popularised as a competitive sport in the 20th century.[41]
Men's
| Tournament | India |
Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| Kabaddi World Cup (Standard style) | 3 | 0 |
| Kabaddi World Cup (Circle style) | 6 | 1 |
| Asian Games | 8 | 0 |
| Asian Kabaddi Championship | 8 | 0 |
| Asia Kabaddi Cup (Circle style) | 1 | 2 |
| South Asian Games | 10 | 1 |
| Total | 36 | 4 |
Women's
| Tournament | India |
Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| Women Kabaddi World Cup | 4 | 0 |
| Asian Kabaddi Championship | 4 | 0 |
| Asian Games | 3 | 0 |
| South Asian Games | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 15 | 0 |
Rugby
Men's
| Matches played | India won |
Pakistan won |
India goals |
Pakistan goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 7 | 0 | 322 | 33 |
Source:[42]
Squash
World Squash Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 0 | 14 |
| Silver | 0 | 9 |
| Bronze | - | - |
| Total | 0 | 23 |
British Open Squash Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 0 | 30 |
| Silver | 0 | 25 |
| Bronze | - | - |
| Total | 0 | 55 |
WSF World Team Squash Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 0 | 6 |
| Silver | 0 | 4 |
| Bronze | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 0 | 11 |
PSA Squash Tour Finals
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 0 | 4 |
| Silver | 0 | 0 |
| Bronze | - | - |
| Total | 0 | 4 |
Tournament of Champions (squash)
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 0 | 22 |
| Silver | 0 | 8 |
| Bronze | - | - |
| Total | 0 | 30 |
United States Open
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 0 | 29 |
| Silver | 0 | 19 |
| Bronze | - | - |
| Total | 0 | 48 |
Hong Kong Open
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 0 | 8 |
| Silver | 0 | 1 |
| Bronze | - | - |
| Total | 0 | 9 |
Windy City Open
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 2 | 0 |
| Silver | 1 | 1 |
| Bronze | - | - |
| Total | 3 | 1 |
Squash at the Commonwealth Games
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 1 | 0 |
| Silver | 2 | 0 |
| Bronze | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 0 |
Squash at the Asian Games
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 3 | 2 |
| Silver | 4 | 4 |
| Bronze | 11 | 3 |
| Total | 18 | 9 |
Tennis
Davis Cup
| Year | Matches played | India won |
Pakistan won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1970s | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020s | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 9 | 0 |
Billie Jean King Cup
| Year | Matches played | India won |
Pakistan won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010s | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Volleyball
Men's
| Tournament | Matches played | India won |
Pakistan won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Games | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Asian Championship | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| CAVA Nations League | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| South Asian Games[43][44][45] | 9 | 8 | 1 |
| Total | 23 | 18 | 5 |
Wrestling
India and Pakistan are big wrestling nations and they played against each other in several International tournaments.[46]
As of 2024 Olympics
Summer Olympics
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 0 | 0 |
| Silver | 2 | 0 |
| Bronze | 6 | 1 |
| Total | 8 | 1 |
World Wrestling Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 1 | 0 |
| Silver | 5 | 0 |
| Bronze | 16 | 2 |
| Total | 22 | 2 |
As of 2022 Asian Games
Asian Games
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 11 | 6 |
| Silver | 15 | 14 |
| Bronze | 39 | 14 |
| Total | 65 | 34 |
Asian Wrestling Championships
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 25 | 1 |
| Silver | 78 | 9 |
| Bronze | 132 | 8 |
| Total | 235 | 18 |
As of 2022 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
India |
Pakistan | |
| Gold | 49 | 21 |
| Silver | 39 | 14 |
| Bronze | 26 | 11 |
| Total | 114 | 46 |
- Bold indicates most wins
See also
Notes
- Exclude the two unofficial exhibition matches after the finalisation of the 1953 and 1955 Colombo Cup editions, with Pakistan winning both times by 1–0.[25] Match at the Afghanistan Republic Day Festival Cup on 21 July 1976 is considered as full A international by some RSSSF sources.
- One Test match between the two sides was cancelled following the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984.
- In addition, four matches between the two sides have been abandoned without a ball being bowled and one match in 1984 was cancelled following the assassination of Indira Gandhi.