T20 World Cup 2026: 4 lesser-known facts about historic India vs Pakistan rivalry

Eternal rivals India and Pakistan will meet in the Group A game of the T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday in Colombo. This fixture has contributed some of the historic moments to the annals of history, and keeping the custom alive, one more epic clash is set to emanate when the two bitter enemies come face to face at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

This rivalry has been witnessed by millions across different generations and has produced some of the biggest individual contests. From the battle of the behemoths between Kapil Dev and Imran Khan to the intriguing fight between class and speed presented by Sachin Tendulkar and Shoaib Akhtar, the matchup promises sheer quality and aggression at the same time. Besides that, the unmatched brilliance of Wasim Akram, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma extended the standard of the rivalry to new heights. These legends did not see this match as just another game of cricket; they saw it as an opportunity to rise above the rest and showcase their extraordinary mettle.

This time, the youngsters will have the responsibility to carry the baton of the legends and deliver a classic performance. A match-winning effort here will be remembered for ages. So, let's see what transpires this time.

As mentioned, this rivalry is historic; it is an ideal time to take a dive into the past and serve the young watchers of the game four lesser-known facts about the India vs Pakistan clash.

1). Three players have represented both India and Pakistan

A rare crossover in this intense rivalry. Abdul Hafeez Kardar (who later became Pakistan's first Test captain) played for India before partition in 1946. Amir Elahi and Gul Mohammad also featured for India before partition and then switched to Pakistan after independence.

2). The Eden Gardens riot in 1999 over Tendulkar's run-out

During the 1999 Asian Test Championship match in Kolkata, Sachin Tendulkar was controversially run out by Shoaib Akhtar after backing up too far. Furious fans rioted, throwing bottles and setting fires, forcing the match to resume behind closed doors the next day. Pakistan eventually won, but the incident remains one of the darkest crowd-related episodes in the rivalry's history.

This may not be well-known, as those who have been following cricket since 2007 or before might be aware of the famous bowl-out that took place in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. It was a low-scoring match as India scored 141-9 in 20 overs and in reply, Pakistan managed the identical score, having lost 7 wickets. The match then moved to a bowl-out, the first and only of the competition, where Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, and Robin Uthappa hit a bullseye for India, and Pakistan missed all their first three attempts out of five and lost the game. Ironically, these teams met in the final of the concerned World Cup, where India emerged as the champions by 5 runs.

4). They have played only one bilateral T20I series

While these two countries were the initial heavyweights in the format, they only played one bilateral series. The series happened back in 2012-13, and it ended up being a 1-1 draw. Both teams have since then met various times in the T20 World Cups and Asia Cups, but never played a bilateral contest again.