Cricket fans breathed a sigh of relief after Pakistan decided to reverse its boycott of the T20 World Cup 2026 match with India.
The two cricketing giants are now set to meet each other at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
Before the blockbuster Pakistan versus India clash, we look at the three most memorable matches between the two South Asian rivals.
2007 T20 World Cup final: Misbah’s scoop shot
This one ranks among the best Pakistan vs India cricket matches of all time.
After electing to bat first at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, the Men in Blue posted 157 runs on the board with Gautam Gambhir contributing the most (75 off 54).
In reply, Pakistan lost its top order in a hurry before Imran Nazir and Younis Khan stabilised the innings.
But Nazir was run out on 33, and Younis played a loose shot off Joginder Sharma to return to the pavilion on 24.
More wickets fell as India appeared very close to sealing a victory. That’s when Misbah-ul-Haq’s towering sixes turned the game on its head.
With six needed from four, Misbah went for the scoop, lost his wicket, and India won the final by five runs.
2007 T20 World Cup group match: A rare bowl-out
Most cricket fans remember the inaugural T20 World Cup for the thrilling final between Pakistan and India.
The two Asian giants also played another closely fought game in the group stage.
Batting first, India posted 141 runs in 20 overs, with Robin Uthappa hitting a quickfire half-century.
Pakistan struggled to chase the total as they lost four wickets by the end of the ninth over.
However, Misbah-ul-Haq continued to defy the Indian bowlers and kept his side in the game with some excellent batting.
Pakistan needed 12 from the final over, and Misbah struck two boundaries to put them on the brink of victory.
He failed to score on the last two deliveries, and the game went to a rare bowl-out.
Indian bowlers hit the stumps on their first three attempts while Pakistan missed all three, handing the Men in Blue a bowl-out victory.
T20 World Cup 2021 group match: Jinx broken
Pakistan had never defeated India in a World Cup game, but that jinx ended in October 2021.
Captain Babar Azam elected to bowl first after winning the toss, and Shaheen Afridi delivered two quick wickets for them.
Virat Kohli stabilised the innings by hitting 57 with the help of five boundaries and a sixer.
India reached a respectable 151 total, with Rishabh Pant chipping in with an impressive cameo.
However, Babar and Muhammad Rizwan turned the game into a no-contest as the duo stood firm and gave the Indian bowlers no chance to get them out.
Rizwan scored 79, and Babar reached 68, as Pakistan crushed India by 10 wickets to register a historic World Cup win.
