India v Pakistan: 15 stats from biggest rivalry ahead of T20 World Cup showdown

South Asian neighbours meet again at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday

INDIA-PAKISTAN T20 STATS: 1 – Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam has played 61 T20Is, but this match will be his first in the format against India. AP

2 – Babar Azam is the second highest ranked T20I batsman in the world, as per the ICC ratings, behind England’s Dawid Malan. Virat Kohli, India’s highest-ranked player, is fourth. AFP

3 – Three players who featured in the 2007 World T20 final could play in the game at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday: Rohit Sharma for India, and Mohammed Hafeez and Shoaib Malik for Pakistan. AP

6.40 – Imad Wasim’s economy rate is the 10th thriftiest in T20I history, and third best of players involved in the World Cup. Only Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (6.21) and Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga (6.29) are more miserly. Getty

8 – The two sides have met eight times in T20Is. India have won six, Pakistan one, while the one that was tied - at the first T20 World Cup in 2007 - was won by India after a bowl out. Getty

11 – No bowler from either side is in the top 10 of the T20 rankings. India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is highest rated, at No 11, while Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi is next at No 23. AFP

11 – Babar Azam has played in 11 T20Is in the UAE – and Pakistan have won all 11. He averages 49 with the bat in those games, which is a shade higher than his career average of 46.89. AFP

28 – The countries have never faced each other in a T20I in the UAE, but they are no strangers to each other in limited-overs cricket on these shores. Pakistan have won 19 of their 28 meetings in one-day internationals. Chris Whiteoak / The National

48.40 – Mohammed Rizwan’s career batting average in T20Is is the second highest ever in the format, behind only Virat Kohli (52.65). Babar Azam is third on that list, with 46.89. Getty

53 – Shoaib Malik has played 53 times in all cricket against India. He has been on the winning side 21 times, with India winning 29 of them. Reuters

71 – Rahul Chahar, the 22-year-old leg-spinner for India, was born just 71 days before Shoaib Malik played his first international match in UAE, against West Indies in Sharjah in 1999. AP

84.66 – Virat Kohli has been on the winning side in five of his six T20Is against Pakistan. His average of 84.66 in matches against the old rivals points to the fact he was not out at the wicket when the winning runs were scored in three of those games. Reuters

106 – Pakistan are the only side to have won more than 100 games in T20I cricket. They have won 106 of their 177 matches. Reuters

2000 – Shoaib Malik first played against India in 2000, the same year in which Tiger Woods became the youngest player to win a major in golf. Ryan Carter / The National

3,159 – Virat Kohli has scored more runs than anyone else in T20I history. New Zealand’s Martin Guptill is next on the list, with 2,939 runs. AFP

India and Pakistan will be reunited in the UAE again on Sunday when they open their T20 World Cup campaigns at the Dubai International Stadium.

The fixtures pits together the second and third highest ranked sides in the ICC standings for T20 internationals.

The fervour involved in the cross-border rivalry means the game matters more than mere numbers – but here are some statistics behind the biggest fixture in cricket.

To view the stats, see the gallery above.