Nearly a decade has passed since India and Pakistan last played each other in a bilateral cricket series, so major tournaments provide a rare chance for us to witness one of the world’s great sports rivalries. As the world gears up for a T20 World Cup in Australia, the game everyone has their eyes on is India vs Pakistan.
On October 23, India and Pakistan will face off once again in the World Cup T20 2022, in front of a 90,000-strong full house at the MCG – one of the most iconic, and the second largest, cricket ground in the world. Naturally, tickets have been sold out for some time.
We’ve been treated to a few India vs Pakistan contests in the last couple of years, but none quite like this - this will be the first match of the tournament for both sides, with both desperate to get off to a winning start.
What time is India vs Pakistan in the T20 cricket World Cup?
India vs Pakistan starts on Sunday October 23 at 7pm AEST, 9am BST, 1pm PKT, 1:30pm IST, 8pm NZST, 4am ET, 1am PT. Scroll down to see how you can watch it on a live stream from anywhere.
Who won the last time India played Pakistan?
India and Pakistan have played relatively recently at the Asia Cup 2022 – twice in fact. Both games came right down to the wire, with India taking the first by five wickets, and Pakistan taking the second by a similar margin, but with just one ball left in the innings.
Meanwhile, India and Pakistan’s last T20 World Cup game in 2021 was a famous occasion, as it was the first time the teams had played each other for nearly a decade. Pakistan came out on top on that occasion with a famous ten wicket victory - big-hitting pair Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan knocked over India with an unbeaten stand of 152, and Shaheen Shah Afridi announced himself as one of cricket’s supreme pace bowlers, rattling through India’s feted top order with three for 31.
India vs Pakistan at T20 World Cup 2022: who will win?
Both sides are coming into the World Cup on good runs of recent form, and will have reasons to feel optimistic about the tournament. After a disappointing (though entertaining) home series loss to England, Pakistan have rallied a little to win a tri-series tournament against New Zealand and Bangladesh. Crucially, the much-criticised Pakistan middle order found a bit of fluency in the final - Mohammad Nawaz, Haider Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed all crashed some quick runs to keep Pakistan on course.
Shaheen Shah Afridi will be back in the side for the World Cup too, which significantly boosts Pakistan’s bowling attack. Questions remain about the consistency of the batting, though, especially against the best bowling line ups in the world.
Aside from a recent loss to South Africa, India have bounced back from a disappointing Asia Cup and now look in ominous form. Alongside England, they boast the strongest batting line-up in the tournament, and lots of their big names have hit form at the perfect time - Virat Kohli looks close to his imperious best, as does KL Rahul, and in Suryakumar Yadav they have arguably the game’s most destructive T20 batsman.
Jasprit Bumrah is a big loss, but India’s IPL experience means they’re still well-equipped with versatile, dangerous bowlers. The big question at the moment is, who will replace Jasprit Bumrah? Will Mohammed Shami return from the wilderness to slot back into India’s pace lineup? Time will tell, but regardless, India are a team that no-one wants to face right now, and they will walk onto the pitch at the MCG with bags of confidence.
The bookies currently have India favoured ahead of Pakistan to win the tournament, and India come into the game on a better run of form too. As ever, though, T20 games can be a complete toss-up - both teams have players who can turn the course of a match on their own.
Where can I watch India vs Pakistan in the T20 cricket World Cup for free?
If you live in Pakistan, or indeed, outside of Pakistan and don't mind the commentary being in Urdu, a number of games are free to watch on state broadcaster PTV Sports. Needless to say, that includes their matchup with India.
How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket in the UK
How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket in India – or in Hindi, from abroad
How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket in Pakistan – for free!
How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket in Australia – including free trial options
How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket in New Zealand
How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket in the USA
How to watch India vs Pakistan T20 cricket if you're abroad
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