Pakistan and India are the two most competitive nations in cricket. The rivalry is the most anticipated in the sport. Be it any format, the two teams have been at the top of their game in the last decade. Both nations have produced impeccable talents, including Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Babar Azam, and Shahid Afridi. India and Pakistan have had some memorable encounters since the beginning of the sport. As far as the T20I format is concerned the two teams have been among the best in the world. Let us look at Pakistan's top 10 highest run-getters against India in the T20Is.
1. Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan is a right-handed opening batter in the T20Is and an agile wicketkeeper. In the other two formats, the batter bats in the middle order for Pakistan. Rizwan has been one of the significant contributors to Pakistan in recent times. The wicketkeeper has taken some brilliant catches and has affected some brilliant stumpings behind the wickets. Rizwan and Babar Azam helped Pakistan to win their first match against India in the T20 World Cups. They achieved this feat in 2021 when both openers chased the target without losing any wickets. He has scored 197 runs in four T20I innings against India.
2. Shoaib Malik
One of the finest T20 players, Shoaib Malik, was a former all-rounder for Pakistan. The right-arm off-spinner and a right-handed middle-order batter made many contributions to Pakistan. Malik was a fine all-rounder in the longer formats as well. He made his T20I debut against England in 2006 and represented Pakistan in 124 T20 internationals. He was also a safe fielder and gave his all in the field. Of his 2435 runs in the shortest format, 164 came against India in eight T20I innings.
3. Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Hafeez was a former right-handed opening batter for Pakistan across formats. Also, a handy off-spinner, Hafeez always provided crucial breakthroughs for Pakistan. Hafeez was one of the most prolific batters for Pakistan and made consistent contributions as well. He made his T20I debut against England in 2006 and represented his country119 times in the T20Is. Hafeez was also a fine fielder and made some outstanding contributions in the field. He scored 156 runs in seven T20I innings against India.
4. Umar Akmal
Umar Akmal was a former wicketkeeper batter for Pakistan across formats. He served Pakistan for a long period. Akmal was a middle-order batter who was comfortable scoring runs at a brisk pace. Umar Akmal made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka in 2009. He was a fine wicketkeeper who made outstanding contributions behind the stumps. The batter played six T20Is against India from 2012 to 2016 and scored 103 runs. He retired from international cricket in 2019.
5. Misbah-ul-Haq
One of the finest batters in the history of Pakistan cricket, Misbah-ul-Haq, was a former right-handed middle-order batter for Pakistan across formats. He was the most reliable batter in the nation. A man of outstanding mental challengingness, Misbah, often bailed out his team from challenging situations. He was also a former skipper of Pakistan in all formats. A leader who led by example, he often played some outstanding innings with the bat in his tenure as a captain. In two T20I innings against India, Misbah scored 96 runs.
6. Babar Azam
Babar Azam is a former skipper of Pakistan, who led the team in all three formats. A right-handed top-order batter for Pakistan, Babar, is one of the best batters in the world. Babar made his T20I debut against England at Manchester in 2016 and has been among the best performers for Pakistan ever since. Under his leadership, Pakistan reached the semi-finals and finals of the 2021 and 2022 T20I World Cups, respectively. He has scored 92 runs in T20I innings against India.
7. Ahmed Shehzad
A former right-handed top-order batter for Pakistan across formats, Ahmed Shezad was one of the emerging talents in the country. His prolific batting display caught many eyes in the domestic circuit. Shehzad made his T20I debut against Australia in 2009. He was also a prominent part of the Champions Trophy 2017, in which Pakistan defeated India in the finals. He scored 83 runs in four T20I innings against India.
8. Iftikhar Ahmed
Iftikhar Ahmed is a right-handed middle-order batter for Pakistan in the white-ball formats. He is one of the most experienced batters in the country and has contributed immensely to the country in the shortest format of the game. Known to hit bug sixes, Iftikhar bats at no.6 for Pakistan and plays the role of a finisher. Also, a handy off-spinner, Iftikhar, is capable of chipping in with a few overs when needed. He made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka in 2016. He has scored 81 runs in the three T20I innings against India.
9. Shahid Afridi
Pakistan’s best asset across formats, Shahid Afridi was a former skipper of the country in all formats. Afridi was one of the most influential leaders in Pakistan and believed in the ideology of leading from the front. A right-arm leg-break bowler and a powerful hitter down the order, Afridi, was one of the most feared all-rounders in the history of cricket. He made his T20I debut against England in 2006. He led his team to the T20 World Cup glory in 2009, when Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in the finals. Afridi made 53 runs in eight T20I innings against India.
10. Shan Masood
Shan Masood is a left-handed top-order batter for Pakistan in all formats. He is also the newly appointed leader in the test format of the game. Known to build innings gradually, Shan Masood is a tactical batter who likes to take some time in his innings. He made his T20I debut against England in 2022 and has represented his country in nineteen T20Is. Masood played a brilliant inning of 52* against India in the 2022 T20I World Cup in Australia, which is also his only T20I inning against India.
