T20 WC: Dissecting Hardik Pandya's stellar T20I record vs Pakistan
ByWhat's the story
India and Pakistan will renew their cricketing rivalry on February 15 in the T20 World Cup 2026 Group A clash at Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium. Both teams have won their first two matches, with India leading the group due to a better net run rate. Eyes will be on star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who delivered a match-winning performance in his last outing against Namibia. Here we decode his T20I numbers against Pakistan.
Leading wicket-taker in India vs Pakistan T20Is
As per ESPNcricinfo, Pandya is the leading wicket-taker in T20Is between India and Pakistan. Since 2016, Pandya has played nine matches against Pakistan and taken 15 wickets at a fine average of 14.6. He has picked at least one wicket in all but one of those matches. Pandya's economy of 7.96 against Pakistan is also decent. No other bowler has even 12 wickets in Indo-Pak rivalry in T20Is.
98 runs with the bat
With the bat, Pandya has managed just 98 across seven T20I innings against Pakistan at 19.6. This includes two ducks and a strike rate of 115.29. 40 of these runs came in the famous 2022 T20 WC affair in Adelaide.
Numbers in T20 WCs
Pandya has featured in four T20 WC games against Pakistan, scalping six wickets at 13.16 (ER: 7.9). This includes the 3/30 in Adelaide (2022) and 2/25 in New York (2024). He has also tallied 58 runs in these games at 19.33.
Pandya can accomplish this double
If Pandya scores at least 22 runs against Pakistan, he will become the 17th Indian cricketer to score 6,000 runs in T20 cricket. He has scored a total of 5,978 runs in his career so far at 30.04. The veteran can also become the first Indian cricketer to score 6,000+ runs and take 200+ wickets in this format. He has already taken a whopping 219 wickets in T20 cricket at 28.19.
Here are his overall T20I stats
Pandya punctured Namibia with a 28-ball 52 in his last outing. He smashed his 8th T20I fifty, taking his T20I tally to 2,128 runs at 28.37 from 131 matches. With the ball, he managed 2/21 as India bowled well to hurt Namibia in a 210-run chase. The 32-year-old now boasts 107 wickets in the format at 26.70.