India and Pakistan have met six times in the World Cup so far and each time, the Indians have come up trumps. The two teams didn’t play each other in the first four editions of the World Cup, and it was only at the Benson and Hedges World Cup in 1992, which was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, that the two teams first clashed. From 1992 till the last World Cup in 2015, India has held the advantage over their arch-rivals beating them comprehensively on each occasion.
Here’s a look at all the results so far:
Sydney, 1992
A young Sachin Tendulkar was playing his first World Cup in 1992 and he top-scored for India scoring an unbeaten fifty. In the match held at the Sydney Cricket Ground, India batted first and scored 216/7 in 49 overs. Ajay Jadeja was the next highest scorer for India with 46 while Mushtaq Ahmed picked up 3 wickets for Pakistan. In reply, the Pakistan innings never got going and folded up for 173. Aamir Sohail top scored with 62 while their experienced campaigner Javed Miandad scored a laboured 40 runs off 110 balls before he was castled by Javagal Srinath with a searing yorker. India won the match by 43 runs and Sachin was declared Player of the Match.
Bengaluru, 1996
It was the World Cup quarterfinal and the stage was set. India won the toss and elected to bat. A solid start of 90 runs between Sachin and Navjot Sidhu for the opening wicket laid the foundation for a big total. But the fireworks were reserved for the latter half of the innings. India plundered 57 runs in the final four overs with Jadeja taking 22 runs off a Waqar Younis over. India racked up a formidable total of 287 runs on the board. The Pakistan innings got off to a blistering start with both the openers, Aamir Sohail and Saeed Anwar, coming all guns blazing. Sohail had smashed Venkatesh Prasad for a four and gestured to the bowler to go and fetch the ball. But Prasad had the last laugh as he sent Sohail’s stumps flying off the very next ball. Pakistan finished on 248/9 with Prasad and Anil Kumble picking up 3 wickets each. India won the match by 39 runs. It was incidentally Javed Miandad’s last one-day international match. Sidhu was declared Player of the Match.
Manchester, 1999
India won the toss and batted first scoring 227/6 in their allotted 50 overs. Rahul Dravid top scored with 61. In reply, the Pakistan innings stuttered throughout the chase and they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Not a single batsman managed to reach 50 and the team eventually folded up for 180. India won the match by 47 runs. Venkatesh Prasad starred with the ball picking up 5 wickets and was declared Player of the Match.
Centurion, 2003
Riding on a brilliant century by Saeed Anwar, who was playing his last World Cup, Pakistan managed to score an impressive 273/7 in 50 overs. Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra picked up 2 wickets each for the Indians. However, India began the daunting chase in a hurry with Sachin and Virender Sehwag bringing up the 50-run partnership off just 32 balls. After Sehwag got out in the 6th over, Sachin continued the momentum and scored a brisk 98 off 75 balls, laced with 12 fours and a six. Sachin was hampered by cramps toward the latter half of his innings and missed his century by 2 runs holing out to a bouncer by Shoaib Akhtar. Yuvraj Singh chipped in with an unbeaten 50 and he along with Dravid ensured the Indians romped home by 6 wickets. Sachin was declared Player of the Match.
Mohali, 2011
It was a World Cup knockout match and a spot in the final was up for grabs. India won the toss and batted. Sehwag got off the blocks in a jiffy and raced to 38 off just 25 balls with 9 fours, before he was trapped lbw by Wahab Riaz. Sachin meanwhile led a charmed existence, making use of his five reprieves to score 85 runs. The Indians finished on 260/9 with Riaz ending up with 5 wickets. Pakistan never really looked in the hunt and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Only Misbah-ul-Haq managed to score a fifty and all the 5 Indian bowlers shared the spoils with 2 wickets apiece. India won the match by 29 runs and Sachin was declared Player of the Match.
Adelaide, 2015
MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat. Virat Kohli starred with the bat scoring 107 and Suresh Raina chipped in with a 56-ball 74, which enabled India to post a total of 300. For Pakistan, Sohail Khan was the wrecker-in-chief picking up 5 wickets. Pakistan lost the first wicket with just 11 runs on the board. They kept losing wickets thereafter while their captain Misbah stood firm with 76 runs. They were eventually bowled out for 224 with Mohammad Shami scalping 4 wickets. India won by 76 runs with Kohli declared Player of the Match.
The Virat Kohli-led Indian team will be looking to extend the unbeaten record to 7-0 when they meet Pakistan in this year's edition on Sunday in Manchester.