Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has welcomed Rohit Sharma's statement of wanting for Test cricket's resumption between the two nations moving forward. Afridi believes it's critical for ambassadors like Rohit Sharma to support these and wishes for amicable relations between the neighbouring nations.
India and Pakistan have not played against one another in Test cricket since 2007 when the latter hosted the arch-rivals for a three-game series. The hosts won a tight series 1-0. The last bilateral series between the two sides took place in 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India to play white-ball cricket.
With Rohit claiming the India-Pakistan contest to be a cracking one in Tests, Afridi stated that cricket has been a critical component of building a relationship and suggested that he hopes to see it resumes again. He told Samaa Tv:
"Bilkul bahut acha jawab hai, hona bhi yahi chahiye. Indian captain ki taraf se is tarah ki cheezein, statements positive ho. Kyunki cricketer ke saath saath woh ambassador bhi hain. Hamesha se hum bhi yahi baat kehte hue aaye hain ki Pakistan-India ki jo relationship hai woh sports ki vajah se, khaas taur se cricket ka role bahut important raha hai. Past mein bhi yeh cheezein hoti rahi hai. India mein jabhi is tarah ki situation rahi hai aur threats aati rahi hai. Indian government hume invite karti rahi, Indian board invite karta tha, hum jaate they, khelte they. Padosi padosi ka aapas mein relationship jitna behtar ho utna accha hai."
(A positive statement from an Indian captain. He is also an ambassador of India. We have always said that the relationship between Pakistan and India.....sports -especially cricket - has played an important role in it. We used to go to India and play cricket there. These things build relationship and it's important for neighbours to have good relations.)
India to face Pakistan in New York in 2024 T20 World Cup:
Meanwhile, the Men in Blue will square off against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup fixture on June 9th in New York. The two teams are clubbed with co-hosts USA, Canada, and Ireland.
India have a sensational record against Pakistan in T20 World Cups, winning 6 out of 7 matches. Pakistan's only win over India came in the 2021 edition in Dubai.
