Is a Pakistan-India series on the cards?

A recent report from a British daily revealed that representatives of several England stadiums have expressed interest in hosting the much-anticipated bilateral Test series between Pakistan and India, following a suggestion made by Indian skipper Rohit Sharma in a recent interview.

The Telegraph disclosed that renowned venues like Lord’s, The Oval, and Edgbaston have shown keenness to host the fierce cricketing rivals. Representatives from Lord’s, Surrey, and Warwickshire expressed confidence in their ability to serve as potential hosts for the matches.

Steve Elworthy, the chief executive of Surrey, and Stuart Cain, the chief executive of Warwickshire, voiced their support for the proposal to hold the India-Pakistan matches at their respective grounds.

Rohit Sharma's suggestion arose during an interview with the Club Prairie Fire podcast, where he emphasized the excitement of hosting a Test match between India and Pakistan in a neutral country. He highlighted the competitive spirit between the teams and expressed his focus solely on the game of cricket.

The last Test match between India and Pakistan took place during the 2007/08 season, while their last bilateral white-ball series occurred in 2012/13, when Pakistan toured India for ODIs and T20Is.

Currently, encounters between the two nations are limited to events like the Asia Cup and global tournaments, such as the 50-over World Cup, where India emerged victorious over Pakistan on home soil last year, and the T20 World Cup.

Political tensions between India and Pakistan have led to the Indian government's reluctance to endorse bilateral matches, creating obstacles to regular cricketing engagements between the two nations.