It has come from out of the blue. In the midst of the glitzy and lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) — where Pakistan players are not allowed — Indian captain Rohit Sharma showed interest in playing a Test match against Pakistan!

It is enchanting to think how seminal his words could yet be, but these are the first words publicly shared from a high profile cricket personality on an otherwise long-abandoned topic.

It was on a podcast with former England captain Michael Vaughan and former Australian wicket-keeper batter Adam Gilchrist that Rohit was asked about an India-Pakistan Test match. Vaughan, an Ashes-winning skipper and a widely travelled television pundit, suggested that Test cricket can flourish if the authorities get Pakistan and India to play against each other.  

“I think it would help Test cricket hugely if we could get India to play Pakistan on a regular basis and, if that means it can’t be played in your home countries because of too much politics involved, hosting it in the UK or Abu Dhabi,” opined Vaughan. To this, Gilchrish poked in his nose, adding, “or even at the MCG [Melbourne in Australia].”

A recent comment from India’s cricket captain Rohit Sharma, about his desire for a Test match between archrivals Pakistan and India, is sparking fresh hopes for the revival of cricket between both countries

Rohit, unlike some of his other teammates or former Indian players, showed excitement at the prospect. “I totally believe that. They [Pakistan] are a good team, they have got a superb bowling line-up. So it’ll be a good contest, especially if you play in overseas conditions. That’ll be awesome. Yeah, I would love to [play a Test against Pakistan], it would be a great contest,” chirped out Rohit, always open about his feelings.

“At the end of the day, we want to be in a contest and I think it will be a great contest between the two sides. We, anyway, play them in ICC trophies, so it doesn’t really matter. It’s just pure cricket that I’m looking at,” he went on to say.

None of the current Pakistan or Indian players have featured in an India-Pakistan Test. The last time the two countries contested a five-day match was in December 2007 — 17 long years have elapsed since. In fact, even the last non-Test bilateral series was played in 2012 when Pakistan, under Misbah-ul-Haq, crossed the border and contested in two T20Is and three ODIs.

But that tour could not help in resuming bilateral ties. Those were put on halt by India over political tension and, every time there is some talk about resumption, the reason given for nixing things is New Delhi does not permit it. Sadly, cricket has been made hostage to politics.

But Rohit’s welcoming comments have infused a new life in the efforts. Mind you, there has already been some backdoor diplomacy to have Indo-Pak cricket again. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have offered to host matches because a large number of expats from India and Pakistan live there and can enliven the atmosphere.

The latest entry is that of Cricket Australia (CA). Ever since they hosted an Indo-Pak T20I match in the World Cup in October 2022, CA has seen an opportunity to give the diaspora (Pakistanis and Indians in Australia) the bounty of an enthralling contest. Some 90,000 people filled the MCG during the World Cup Indo-Pak match and set up an atmosphere that had been rarely witnessed before in Australia.

Cricket Australia did offer India and Pakistan a tri-series later this year, as both the Pakistan and Indian teams (Pakistan for a white ball series with Australia, India for a Test series) will be on tour Down Under. But India, like always, refused.

Rohit’s desire has infused a new life, new vigour and new determination in fans who dearly want India to play Pakistan. I have already started envisaging it: over 90,000 fans shouting at the iconic MCG, Shaheen Shah Afridi from the City End hurtling in to bowl to Rohit Sharma. “Well left,” comments the always euphonious Harsha Bhogle. The ubiquitous Sunil Gavaskar, who is integral to all Indo-Pakistan matches — whether playing or giving expert comments — shows his delight and gears up for a lengthy session.

Sitting in the cosy MCG press box, I am chatting endlessly with my Indian friends… But it is just imagination. We will have to wait to cross the bridge, a bridge impeded by mistrust. That mistrust has to erode before we can set the ball rolling.

On the positive side, there are good signs on both sides of the border. A newly elected government in Pakistan with the Sharifs at the helm is seen as a harbinger of a thaw in relations. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to revive ties sooner rather than later. The general consensus is that, once the general elections in India are decided, and with signs of Narendra Modi winning again, things will improve. The route to improve Indo-Pak relations goes through cricket stadiums. Cricket diplomacy will work again and we can hope cricket ties will be revived.

All our lives we have been hearing that India-Pakistan cricket is more popular than the Ashes. It could well be an understatement. There are still no parallels. The involvement of over a billion people makes this a contest to behold, savour and long for. We old folks are lucky to have covered various Indo-Pak matches, including some breathtaking bilateral matches, including Tests.

My mind goes back to four iconic series Pakistan and India played in this century, from 2004 to 2007. India’s 2004 tour to Pakistan was as memorable as it was enjoyable. It broke the ice, removed misconceptions about Pakistan and started a new chapter in the history of South Asian neighbours. All those who crossed the border and came to Pakistan had a whale of a time, as hospitality was at its courteous best.

There are tales too numerous to be told about how restaurants and taxis refused to take payments from Indian guests. I acted as an honorary travel agent for my friends and made sure they did not return with any regrets. The best line from that tour was “We had misconceptions about Pakistan, but we are returning with all those fears and ill-feelings quashed.”

Those feelings were reciprocated when we toured India in the spring of 2005. The residents of Mohali vacated their houses for people coming from Lahore. Kolkata and Bangalore were equally hospitable, as fans enjoyed the tour. Then the tours of 2006 (India to Pakistan) and 2007 (Pakistan to India) doubled the charm of cricket as well as people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

Generation Z has sorely missed out on this and have watched only a few multinational matches in ICC and Asian Cricket Council events. Although the ‘Hanooz Dilli duur ast’ [Delhi is still far] metaphor suggests the resumption of cricket ties will take time, but there are signs, there are people, there are wishes that they should be resumed.

As the old adage goes, ‘Where there is a will, there is a way.’ Thank you Rohit for sparking hope, for showing intent and for loving the contest.

The writer is a senior cricket analyst.
X: @hashmi_shahid

Published in Dawn, EOS, April 28th, 2024