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3 Players Who Have Played International Cricket For Both India And Pakistan

Indian cricket team in 1946 (x.com)Indian cricket team in 1946 (x.com)

The intense and fierce rivalry between India and Pakistan is rooted in a shared history that extends beyond the cricket field. As Asian powerhouses, these cross-border rivals have given the world some of the most competitive and high-octane showdowns in cricketing history.

Players from both sides often commit themselves to the on-field cause, knowing what’s at stake in these iconic battles. Interestingly, three cricketers have had the unique honor of representing both sides of the border at the international level. Here at OneCricket, we take a look at each of those players along with their international playing journeys for India and Pakistan.

Players Who Played International Cricket for India and Pakistan:

3. Gul Mohammad

Gul Mohammad played Test Cricket for Both India and Pakistan [X]Gul Mohammad played Test Cricket for Both India and Pakistan [X]

Gul Mohammad made his Test debut for pre-independence India in 1946. The first-class veteran went on to play eight Test matches for the Indian team up until 1952 before relocating to Pakistan. In October 1956, Mohammad played one additional Test for Pakistan with a match against Australia at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Overall, Gul Mohammad’s international profile includes 205 runs from nine Test matches. He scored 166 of those runs at a substandard average of 11.06 for India and 39 runs in the lone Test appearance he made for Pakistan, in a match-winning cause no less. Despite his underwhelming numbers at the international level, the dashing left-handed batter was a prolific run-scorer in domestic cricket, as he tallied 5,614 runs in 118 matches with an impressive average of 33.81.

2. Abdul Kardar

Abdul Kardar (x.com)Abdul Kardar (x.com)

Lahore-born Abdul Kardar is widely regarded as the ‘father figure’ of Pakistan cricket. Notably, the all-rounder initiated his international journey with Team India in 1946 with a three-match Test series against England in England. Averaging just 16 with the bat, Kardar relocated to Pakistan after India’s independence from the British empire and went on to play 23 additional Test matches. Remarkably, Abdul Kardar also led Pakistan to their first-ever Test match, against India no less, in October 1952 in Delhi.

Kardar averaged nearly 25 for Pakistan and tallied 847 runs with five half-centuries. Overall, he concluded his international career in 1958 with 927 Test runs and 21 wickets.

1. Amir Elahi

Amir Elahi (PCB)Amir Elahi (PCB)

Amir Elahi, the recipient of Pakistan’s first-ever Test cap, made his Test debut for India five years prior in December 1947 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The spin-bowling all-rounder shifted to Pakistan after India’s independence and played five Test matches, all during late-1952. Notably, Elahi played each of those five Tests for Pakistan against India in India, at the age of 44 years no less. Amir Elahi’s Pakistan debut also coincided with that of Abdul Kardar at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.

Overall, the all-rounder picked up seven wickets and scored 82 runs across all his six Tests. His lackluster returns in international cricket aside, Amir Elahi held an imperial first-class record overall. He collected 513 wickets in 125 matches at a bowling average of just 25.77 and also amounted to over 2,500 runs with the bat.