When it comes to renowned sporting rivalries, you would be hard pushed to find one with more significance and global interest than the cricketing rivalry between Pakistan and India. With two countries whose populations treasure the sport of cricket more than any other, it is no surprise that the fortunes of the two national teams, especially when they play one another, is paramount.

So, what is the origin for this intense rivalry, arguably the most intense rivalry in the history of cricket and wider sport? As with many sporting rivalries, the tension between the two countries came as a result of goings-on outside of the cricket pitch. Diplomatic relations became more and more strained during the Partition of India into Pakistan and India in 1947. This was followed by various other conflicts such as the Indo-Pakistani Wars and the Kashmir territorial dispute. After all of this separation, the one thing that the two nations still ended up sharing was a common love and rich heritage of cricket.

The first match between the two national teams was played in 1952 when Pakistan embarked on a tour of India. In the following decades, the sides have competed in both long and short format matches including Tests and limited-overs games, but unfortunately, a number of planned tours have also fallen victim to cancellation through political factors. For example, no cricket was played between India and Pakistan from 1962 to 1977 due to two major wars that were being fought at the time. The 1999 Kargil War and the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks have played more recent roles in halting the continuation of the cricketing rivalry.

As of 2020, India and Pakistan have faced one another a total of 199 times. Pakistan hold 86 match wins whilst India fall slightly behind with 70 victories of their own. When broken down into separate formats, Pakistan currently have the edge over India in both Test matches and One Day Internationals, while India has won six of the eight T20 Internationals that the two countries have contested. Every match played between India and Pakistan creates a wave of interest and activity at thepunterspage.com/indian-betting-sites for Indian bookmakers like 22Bet or Betiton all offer lucrative odds for these clashes. This results in the betting industry earning about 30 billion USD each year.

When comparing the two team's successes in the wider context of international tournaments, India boasts two ICC Cricket World Cup wins compared to Pakistan's one, with each country also having one ICC T20 World Cup to their name. In the Asia Cup, India has a strong lead over their rivals, with seven wins compared to Pakistan's two. In total, India has won thirteen 'major tournaments' compared to Pakistan's nine.

Some highlight assorted facts and statistics from the India-Pakistan sporting rivalry include:

• Pakistan's Javed Miandad is the highest run-scorer in the history of the rivalry, scoring 2,228 runs in 39 innings from 1978 to 1989.
• The highest individual score in an India-Pakistan match was made by India's Virender Sehwag, hitting 309 in Multan in 2004.
• India's Kapil Dev has taken the most wickets over the course of the rivalry, with 99 in 29 matches.
• The best individual bowling performance was produced by India's Anil Kumble when he bowled 10/74 in New Delhi in 1999.

Interestingly, there are a special trio of players who have represented both India and Pakistan at national cricket level. This is a result of the time period before and after the Partition of India. These players are:

• Amir Elahi, who played a single Test for India in 1947 before going on to play five Tests for Pakistan.
• Gul Mohammed, who played eight Tests for India between 1946 and 1955, before playing a single Test for Pakistan in 1956.
• Abdul Hafeez Kardar, who played three tests for India in 1946 before going on to play 23 tests for Pakistan from 1948 to 1958.

Due to the large expatriate populations from both India and Pakistan around the world, the sporting rivalry between the two country's cricket teams has garnered world global interest outside of the sub-continental bubble. Countries including Canada and the United Arab Emirates have hosted matches between the two countries in times of territorial conflict, and the meeting between India and Pakistan at the 2019 Cricket World Cup generated a staggering 800,000 ticket applications.

As with any fiercely contested and fiery rivalry, there are of course some unfortunate elements to the India-Pakistan cricket tension. Players from both national sides are often the subjects of intense pressure to win for national bragging rights and this can sometimes spill over into extreme threats to safety if faced with defeat.

Over the course of the rivalry, there have been isolated incidents of hooliganism from sets of supporters both at matches and in various viewing locations across the countries. On a more positive note, however, the cricket relationship between India and Pakistan has often provided opportunities for improved diplomatic relations, with heads of state exchanging visits to attend matches on both sides.