India and Pakistan will clash on Sunday in ICC Men’s World Cup 2019— and Virat Kohli will hope a 27-year old jinx continues

Cricket teams of India and Pakistan are about to face each other in the upcoming ICC World Cup tournament on June 16. The two teams share the fiercest rivalry that cannot be seen in any other sport and that may be the reason behind all the tickets being sold within 48 hours despite being more pricey than of any other match. According to the media reports, most of the buyers are Indian.

Cricket fans have a clear idea that it is rare to see the two arch rivals playing against each other as the Indian government doesn’t allow India’s cricket team to face Pakistan in any tournament except for international competitions.

However, it is not a battle of equals. Virat Kohli’s men in blue are a better team and in good form. India was the No.2 team in ICC’s one-day international rankings going into the World Cup while Pakistan were sixth on the list.

Even in the tournament, Sarfaraz Ahmed’s men in green have lost two matches, against West Indies and Australia, while Team India has won all its fixtures so far, and convincingly.

However, it’s unlikely to be a dead rubber as both teams tend to push themselves harder while playing each other. Further, Pakistan will take heart from their only win this tournament against England, which is ranked better than India.

India, too, have been set back by the injury that ruled star opener Shikhar Dhawan from the tournament. But even as the rest of the team ups the ante, Kohli will hope that Pakistan’s 27-year old jinx continues.

India and Pakistan are going to face each other for the seventh time in a world cup tournament. It will be India’s fourth match in the tournament. Previously, the match between India and New Zealand on June 13 was abandoned without a single ball bowled because of heavy rainfall. Both the teams (India and Pakistan) scored one point each.


Previously, India and Pakistan have played six matches against each other and India has won them all. Sachin Tendulkar won the title of Player of the Match in three of the six matches played against Pakistan.

Ad prices are skyrocketing since India and Pakistan matches have always grabbed the attention of the audience. Currently, an advertisement during the India-Pak cricket match can reportedly cost as high as ₹200,000 for 10 seconds.

Talking of the viewership, India-Pakistan match in the ICC World Cup 2015 is said to have as many as 288 million viewers. Over 93 brands got on board with Star Networks. The same match reportedly generated over ₹1 billion as advertising revenues.

Here’s a look at the cricket journey of India and Pakistan over the years: