After a long break of 28 months, India and Pakistan resumed their on-field rivalry when they squared off in the group stage fixture of the T20 World Cup 2021. The two teams locked horns in the 16th match of the ICC event in Dubai. The fixture was played in front of a packed crowd and shattered the viewership records.

Owing to the political tensions between the two countries, India and Pakistan only have a face-off in ICC events and Asia Cups. The two teams haven’t played a bilateral series since 2012/13 and there is no series scheduled for the future.

During a recent event in UAE, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was inquired about the cricketing ties between the two teams going ahead. Responding to the query, the former India captain recently said that the decision is not in the hands of the boards and that the respective governments have to work on that.

“This is not in the hands of the boards. At world tournaments, the two teams do play each other. Bilateral cricket has been stopped for years and this is something that the respective governments have to work on. This is not in Rameez’s hands, nor mine,” he said at the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair on November 13.

Since there is a T20 World Cup next year, the two teams are likely to play against each other in Australia. Also, there are two back-to-back Asia Cups lined up to be played in 2022 and 2023. Hence, the Men in Blue and the Men in Green are confirmed to square off at least twice in the next two years.

Talking of their T20 WC campaigns, India missed out on making it to the semi-final. The Virat Koli-led side won 3 out of 5 Super 12 group stage matches.

Babar Azam-led Pakistan made it to the semi-final with 5 wins in the league stage. Their hopes of winning the title for the 2nd time were quashed by eventual champions Australia, who chased down the target of 177 in the knockout game