Cricket
Greatest Cricket Rivalries: India vs Pakistan, Ashes, & More
While cricket has always seen competition between rivals, few rivalries carry emotional, cultural, and historical significance as India and Pakistan. Barring them, England and Australia shared the oldest rivalry in cricket.
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There have been quite a few rivalries in cricket but none comes as intense as India vs Pakistan, which is easily among the greatest cricket rivalries. Though the age-old Ashes rivalry between England and Australia comes close, the stakes don’t get any higher when the Men in Blue take on their Men in Green neighbours in any tournament whatsoever.
While cricket has always seen competition between rivals, few rivalries carry emotional, cultural, and historical significance as the two above. India and Pakistan have stopped playing each other in bilateral series for years now, but the electric atmosphere their encounters still bring in tournaments like ODI and T20I World Cups is breathtaking.
The never-ending political tensions between the two nations further stress the importance of these high-octane encounters as the victors allow millions to carry the bragging rights for months. Numerous cricketers have gained legendary status by performing in an India-Pakistan cricket match alone.
The Ashes, on the other hand, is the oldest cricket rivalry dating back to 1882. While it lacks the ripple effect that an India-Pakistan cricket match has, the England-Australia Test battle symbolises cricket’s fierce competition over a five-match Test series. Over the decades, the Ashes has forged some iconic players like Sir Don Bradman, Shane Warne, Ben Stokes, Ian Botham and more.
Greatest Cricket Rivalries
India vs Pakistan | Cricket’s Ultimate Ambience-Setter
One of the storied showdowns in cricket, and quite possible amongst all sports, an India vs Pakistan face-off is not just a match but an extravaganza that captivates millions of viewers.
It started back in 1947 when British India’s partition led to the birth of two countries. Thereafter, the relentless conflict surrounding Kashmir gave rise to further tensions and territorial conflicts and they are continuing for half a century. A common heritage between them has been cricket and the sport subsequently became the battlefield where the repressed tensions were expressed.
Hence, players playing in an India-Pakistan match face unparalleled pressure and defeats are often faced with harsh criticism and huge uproar. The history of India and Pakistan’s cricket encounters has often seen hooliganism that has acted as a catalyst to intensify the rivalry.
India and Pakistan first faced in a cricket match in 1952 when the newly formed nation toured India for a Test series. India was expected to win on home soil but Pakistan’s win in the second Test in Lucknow saw fans react quite angrily, which became a foundation of this rivalry.
Their cricket match remained a regular spectacle for years but political tensions have kept disrupting their encounters like in the 1960s and by the 1999 Kargil War before the 2008 Mumbai attack finally ended bilateral cricketing events between them.
However, the fans have a rich history to look back at while the impasse continues. India has a one-sided record at ICC events when compared to Pakistan. The India vs Pakistan head-to-head record sees India winning 14 of their 15 World Cup matches. The Men in Blue also have six ICC titles (two ODI World Cups, two T20 World Cups, and two Champions Trophies) compared to Pakistan’s three.
India vs Pakistan: On-field Controversies That Kept the Rivalry Burning
The intense rivalry also etched out some extreme on-field confrontations that kept the rivalry a revered affair for decades. The immense pressure has often gotten the better of the players and tempers have flared as the stakes climbed.
Javed Miandad Sets the Ball Rolling in ‘92: While both the teams had seen insignificant on-field quarrels until then, the 1992 ODI World Cup witnessed an iconic moment between the two rivals with Javed Miandad and Kiran More involved. Former Indian wicket-keeper More’s incessant appeal from behind the stumps got the better of Miandad’s temperament and the batsman mocked the gloveman by jumping up and down in a frivolous imitation.
Their first face-off in an ODI World Cup, in 1992, became infamous not just for the cricket, but for an on-field spat between Pakistan’s Javed Miandad and India’s Kiran More. After More’s energetic appeals frustrated Miandad, the Pakistani legend famously mocked the wicketkeeper by bouncing up and down in imitation. The umpires had noted the action but they chose not to take any action. Eventually, India won the match by 43 runs.
Venkatesh Prasad Gives It Back to Aamer Sohail: Miandad’s mockery of More had truly set the tone for the upcoming India-Pakistan encounters and sparks were seen in the very next World Cup edition when India hosted Pakistan in the quarterfinal in Bangalore. Pakistan batter Aamer Sohail was facing Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad and after the former dismantled a delivery, the Pakistani signalled towards the boundary in a taunting gesture.
However, Sohail’s gesture backfired instantly as he was bowled on the very next delivery and Prasad signalled him to return to the pavilion to the relief of the electrifying crowd. India won the match by 39 runs and it remains one of the most epic India-Pakistan encounters to date.
Gambhir and Afridi Clash in a Heated Encounter: The next memorable heated exchange between India and Pakistan cricketers took place during a Kanpur ODI in 2007. Current Indian team coach and two-time World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir saw Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi bumping into him while the former was trying to complete a run. The action sparked a heated exchange between the two and the umpires had to step in this time and the matter didn’t continue for long.
These incidents truly highlight the competitive spirit between the archrivals reflecting the extremely high stakes whenever they engage in a cricket match.
India vs Pakistan: Epic Cricket Encounters
The relentless tension between the players could only produce nervy performances on the field and cricket was witness to some of the closest cricket encounters when India and Pakistan have faced off. These encounters had thrilling twists and raw emotion to a gritty show of resilience.
Kapil Dev & Team Steals the Show in Sharjah in 1985: Batting first, the Men in Blue were restricted to just 125 runs during the Rothmans Four-Nation Cup opener in 1985. Imran Khan led Pakistani bowlers with brilliant figures of 6/14 in Sharjah, leaving the Men in Green with a simple target of 126 runs. However, what looked like an easy win for them soon turned out to be an embarrassing defeat as Pakistan were bowled out for just 87 runs.
Javed Miandad Seals the win on the Last Ball: The venue was Sharjah again but this time Pakistan had the last laugh. The year was 1986 and the tournament was the Austral-Asia Cup final where India met Pakistan in a mouth-watering encounter. Batting first, India had posted a target of 246 runs riding on Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth’s 117-run opening stand. No batsman from Pakistan stood up to the task barring one - Javed Miandad. Coming to bat second down, Miandad remained unbeaten on 116 runs but most importantly, won the game for Pakistan by hitting the iconic sixer on the very last ball of the finale. Chetan Sharma, who was India’s best bowler that evening, had conceded the losing runs in the last ball.
India-Pakistan Finale Immortalize 2007 T20 World Cup Forever: The inaugural T20 World Cup edition couldn’t have hoped for a better conclusion, which has kept the tournament an exciting prospect even today. After Gautam Gambhir’s 75-run knock helped India set a competitive target of 158 runs, Pakistan needed a solo display of grit and patience from Misbah-ul-Haq to chase it. The Men in Green were agonisingly close to win the summit clash, needing only 13 runs off the final over. However, Misbah’s mistimed and unconventional scoop off Joginder Sharma’s average length bowling saw India lift the title following a five-run win as Sreesanth took the famous catch.
Australia vs England | Cricket’s Oldest Rivalry
The England-Australia rivalry got its name from a newspaper joke way back in 1882 when Australia had beaten England for the very first time on English turf at the Oval. The Sporting Times had carried a fancy obituary mocking England’s display calling England cricket “dead” and stating that “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.”
The then England cricket captain Ivo Bligh had promised to reclaim the “ashes” during their next tour to Australia that burst open the suppressed rivalry. When England won in Australia in the 1882-83 series, Bligh was gifted a small urn in an act of humour that symbolied the “ashes of Australian cricket. Though the series wasn’t officially named Ashes then, Bligh’s widow would later hand over the terracotta urn to Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
The Ashes series today consists of five Tests which played every alternative year between the two teams. A Waterford Crystal Ashes Trophy has been awarded to the winners of the series since 1998-99. This became cricket’s most awaited Test contest with Australia winning 34 and England winning it 32 times.
Ben Stokes and Pat Cummins with the Ashes 2023//Getty Images
Australia vs England: Controversiesial Moments That Immortalized the Rivalry
Given the age of this rivalry, the contest has seen multiple on-field instances that have gone into cricket’s history books.
The “Botham’s Test” in 1981: One of the most memorable Test encounters took place in 1981 in Headlingley. Standing on the brink of defeat, England saw all-rounder Ian Botham carry them to an iconic victory that changed the course of the series in England’s favour. It was later revealed that Australia’s Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh had bet on England with the odd’s reading 500/1. Though it was a light-hearted gesture, their action led many to question their sportsmanship.
The Bodyline Series that Changed Cricket Rules: Under the captaincy of Douglas Jardine, England had resorted to “bodyline” tactics during the 1932-33 series. The aim to bowl short-pitched deliveries at Don Bradman and his team’s bodies that left them seriously injured without helmets. England won the series 4-1 but their manner of win led to bitter diplomatic relations between the nations. Batsman Bill Woodfull had famously stated, “There are two teams out there; one is trying to play cricket and the other is not”. Cricket’s governing body had soon changed the rules to limit bouncers in an over to prevent that tactics repeating again.
Dennis Lillee Weilds Aluminium bat in Perth Test: Yet another instance that forced the governing body to change rules once and for all took place during the 1979 Perth Test match. Australia’s Dennis Lille had come out to bat with an aluminim bat and it went on for some time before England’s Mike Brearley objected citing that it was damaging the ball severely. A heated on-field debate ensued before Australia’s Greg Chappell intervened. Lillee switched to a wooden bat but not before hurling his aluminium bat at the crowd. Following that, cricket rules were rewritten to allow only wooden bats.
Australia vs England | Closest Encounters in Ashes
The Topsy-turvy Edgbaston Test in 2005: A star-studded Australian side was the clear favourites entering the Ashes in 2005 and started the series with a comprehensive victory in the first Test. However, Glenn McGrath’s injury pushed them on the backfoot and they couldn’t match England’s first inning score of 407. Though Shane Warne’s six-fer kept the visitors in the game, Andrew Flintoff’s 141-run knock gave England the edge and Steve Harmison would dismiss Michael Kasprowicz on the very last ball of the match to level the series.
The Unforgettable Old Traffiord Test in 1902: Australia had started well with the bat riding on Victor Trumper’s century but soon collapsed from 256 runs to 299 runs. England didn’t do very well either as they were struggling at 44/5 before Stanley Jackson’s 128 brought the match on equal terms. Australia continued to perform terribly as they were all wrapped up for just 86 runs leaving the hosts with just 124 runs to win. At 92/3, England looked destined for an easy win but the imbalanced game saw Hugh Trumble and Jack Saunders to a mind-boggling three-run win from the throes of defeat.
England Clinch Narrow Win at MCG in 1998: With Australia leading 2-0 in the five-match series after the first two games, the visitors arrived at the MCG with the Ashes at stake. England started well banking on Alec Stewart’s century to tally 270 in the first innings before Australia captain Steve Waugh batted strongly to get a 70-run lead. Eventually, Australia needed just 175 runs to seal the series and looked assured of a win sitting at 130/3. But, as has often been the case in Ashes, a dramatic batting collapse took place with Dean Headly getting a six-wicket hauld before Darren Gough sealed a 12-run win for England.
South Africa vs Australia: Cricket’s Fiercest Modern-Day Rivalry
While the previous two rivalries have been decades old, one of the more recent and modern day faceoffs that has kept cricket lovers on their feet is South Africa and Australia.
Known for their athletic built, South Africa dominates in most outdoor sports they compete in and they announced their arrival to the cricket world when they became the first team to beat Australia on their home soil in 16 years during the 2008-09 series. Their rivalry has since intensified manifold that was evident during Australia’s 2011 tour of South Africa when the visitors chased down more than 300 runs to secure a draw.
Such close encounters have ocurred aplenty in the last two decades with South Africa even toppling Australia in the ICC ranks for months.
South Africa vs Australia | On-field Cricket Controversies
The Sandpaper Scandal of 2018: While the South Africa-Australia rivalry being relatively new has had little scope for on-field controversies, a game between both the sides resulted in the biggest scandals of modern cricket.
Australia’s 2018 tour of South Africa was a close affair as the visitors weren’t ready to let a single run pass through easily. This resulted in Cameron Bancroft getting caught on camera using sandpaper to alter the ball’s condition. It created a huge uproar and captain Steve smith and vice-captain David Warner were subsequently suspended alongside Bancroft.
It didn’t stop at that as Australia saw coach Darren Lehmann stepping down although he wasn’t part of it. However, more than the suspensions, this incident affected the repertoire of Australian cricket that has been built on decades of toil and excellence.
South Africa vs Australia | Epic Encounters
The Epic 438 Clash: Australia and South Africa clashed in one of the greatest ODIs ever played in the history of cricket. With the five-match series poised at 2-2, visitors Australia had posted a mammoth target of 434 runs batting first. Ricky Ponting had led from the front with a brilliant 164-run knock and the match seemed over even before South Africa came out to bat in the second innings.
South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis had famously said in jest that “It’s a 450-wicket. They’re 15 short”. His teammate had seemingly believed it as opener Herschelle Gibbs (175 runs) played the innings of his life alongside Graeme Smith (90 runs) before the ever-reliable Mark Boucher scored a half-century to tally 438 runs with a ball to spare.
1999 Super Sixes Game: Years before the epic “438” clash between the two, Australia and South Africa had played another entertainer at the 1999 World Cup. The Super Six clash was pivotal to each team’s qualification and Australia had an in-from Steve Waugh leading the side. In yet another famous on-field exchanges, Waugh had told Gibbs, “You’ve just dropped the World Cup, mate,” after the former had dropped an easy catch of Waugh on 56.
Waugh would go on to score 120 runs to help Australia reach the semi-final with two balls remaining and a higher run rate than South Africa. The two teams would meet again in the semi-finals and that match would end in a dramatic draw thus helping Australia to reach the final courtesy of a better run rate from the Super Six stage. The Aussies would eventually lift the title that year.
Cricket’s Greatest Rivalry: Honourable Mentions
West Indies vs England vs Australia
Even before India and Pakistan became cricketing archrivals, there was West Indies who ruled world cricket for years with England and Australia their brutal rivals. Though the Men in Maroon aren’t a force to be reckoned with today, the late 20th century saw their rise.
It all started when Australia defeated them 5-1 during the 1975-96 series, a thrashing that forced the side to rise like a superpower. They would beat Australia in the next seven Test series, which had three wins on the Australian soil itself.
England brought their doom when captain Tony Greig had infamously stated that, “You must remember that the West Indians, these guys, if they get on top are magnificent cricketers. But if they're down, they grovel, and I intend, with the help of Closey and a few others, to make them grovel,” ahead of the 1976 series. West Indies would win that series 3-0 and Greig had famously pretended to be crawling on his hands and knees in front of the crowd in an act of “grovelling”.
India vs Australia
While India first played Australia back in 1947, it was no competition back then. A far more seasoned Australian cricket team dominated India on the cricket field for decades clinching eight of the 15 Test series that they had played. The field became level-playing only in the 20th late century when Sunil Gavaskar and Co. won India’s first Test series on Australia soil in 1979/80.
By the 21st century, the teams were equal and even etched some memorable victories against them - most notably the 2001 Kolkata Test when VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid forged an otherworldly partnership to beat the Aussies after a follow-on. Players like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have since dominated Australian bowlers in their backyard.
More recently, India won back to back Test series in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21, with the latter being an ultimate show of grit as a depleted Indian side won the series in a dramatic fashion.
The Future of Cricket Rivalries
Pakistan vs Afghanistan
While cricket hasn’t seen many intense rivalries of late, a blooming one could be between nighbours Pakistan and Afghanistan. The two countries share history and geopolitics, which has extended their clashes beyond the cricket field. The first glimpse of a potential rivalry between the two nations was seen during the 2019 World Cup at Headlingley when serious fan altercations took place.
Afghanistan cricket’s rapid rise often remains in the backburner owing to their tension with Pakistan and former legends like Javed Miandad and Shahid Afridi have made comments to further add steam to the rivalry. Former Pakistan Cricket Board chief Najam Sethi had even urged Afghan cricket fans to keep peace while former Pakistan player Ramiz Raja has predicted the rivalry only to intensify in the coming years.
FAQs
Apart from the India-Pakistan, the Cricket World Cup has seen Australia vs England, Australia vs New Zealand and India vs Australia churning out memorable encounters.
The biggest rivalry in the Indian Premier League is definitely between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, both of whom have won the title five times.
An M.A. in English Literature, Subhayan is an experienced journalist and sports writer. Having worked as a journalist at Hindustan Times, Subhayan covered diverse beats including sports, education, and health, showcasing his versatility and in-depth understanding of various subjects.