The cricket world has been deprived of the fierce rivalry between India and Pakistan because of political tension between the two countries.

India haven't played Pakistan in bilateral cricket since a home limited-overs series in 2012, with their last meeting in Tests dating back to 2007. In this period, they've only clashed in multi-nation tournaments such as the World Cup and the Asia Cup.

Last time when these two teams faced each other was during the Cricket World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad, where India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets to maintain their unbeaten record.

Recently, former India opener Gautam Gambhir opined that India are currently "far superior" in comparison to Pakistan and as a result, the balance in the rivalry is not same as earlier.

"Pakistan has dominated India a lot of times. Currently, if you see the level of both teams, India is far superior to Pakistan in all three formats. If Pakistan defeats India it's an upset, if India defeats Pakistan, it's very much given," Gambhir said on Star Sports.

Besides the World Cup victory, India also thrashed Pakistan by 228 runs in the Asia Cup 2023 and also went on to win the continental tournament.

During the 2023 World Cup, India reached the final after winning 10 successive matches but they lost to Australia in the title clash on November 19 in Ahmedabad.

According to Gambhir, the rivalry between India and Australia has emerged as a top one in the recent past and it has overtaken the India-Pakistan cricket rivalry.

"India and Australia, from a cricketing point of view, is a top rivalry. If you ask a cricket fan what is the actual rivalry, they will also say India and Australia," he remarked.