(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
WTC 2025–27: No India-Pakistan Test Matches in Sight, Says Ravi Shastri
The 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) is gaining momentum, but one of cricket’s most celebrated rivalries remains missing from the fixture list — India vs Pakistan.
Despite the growing global interest in the WTC, the continued absence of bilateral Test cricket between India and Pakistan has left fans and analysts lamenting what many see as a missed opportunity for the sport.
Shastri: “It’s a Political Issue, Not a Cricketing One”
Speaking during coverage of the England vs India Test series, former India head coach Ravi Shastri addressed the longstanding pause in bilateral red-ball cricket between the two nations. When asked about the possibility of resuming India-Pakistan Test matches, Shastri was direct.
Shastri’s comments came during a segment with former England captain Michael Atherton, who highlighted the significant commercial and fan interest such matches could generate. However, Shastri maintained that cricketing or financial considerations take a back seat to diplomatic factors.
A Rivalry Missed in the WTC
Although India and Pakistan continue to meet in ICC and ACC events — such as the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 and the Women’s ODI World Cup — they have yet to face off in the World Test Championship, despite its global stature.
The last bilateral Test series between the two nations was played in 2007–08, when Pakistan toured India. Since then, cross-border relations have remained tense, and no red-ball matches have taken place. Occasional discussions have surfaced about hosting a neutral venue series — in the UAE or England — but none have materialized.
Cricket’s Missed Moment
The absence of an India-Pakistan Test in recent years means that several modern greats, including Virat Kohli, have never had the opportunity to face Pakistan in the longest format of the game. For fans, this represents not just a gap in the fixture calendar, but a lost chapter in cricket history.
Looking Ahead
While hopes remain that political conditions might one day allow for the revival of one of cricket’s most storied rivalries, voices like Shastri’s emphasize that any progress will need to come at the diplomatic level, not just on the pitch.
Until then, the cricketing world continues to wait — hopeful for the day when India and Pakistan can once again meet in a Test arena, reigniting a legacy built on passion, skill, and shared history
