India vs Pakistan Test Series: Will It Ever Happen Again?
Aravinda de Silva said it plainly. If India and Pakistan played a Test series today, the interest would be enormous. The 1996 World Cup final hero told Sportstar that selling rivalries is how Test cricket survives against the rise of T20, and the India-Pakistan rivalry is the biggest one the game has.
The Last Time India Pakistan Test Series Played
India and Pakistan last played a Test match in December 2007 in Bengaluru. Pakistan saved the draw. India won the series 1-0.
The 2008 Mumbai terror attacks ended all future bilateral plans between the two boards. Since then, they have met only in ICC and ACC tournaments events. BCCI has repeatedly made its position clear, so PCB as well.
In 2023, a source told ANI:
“No such plans for India and Pakistan Test series in future or in any country.”
That is 18 years without a Test match between cricket’s two most followed nations suffer after that.
The WTC Problem Nobody Is Talking About
De Silva’s argument works if India and Pakistan are two competitive Test sides. Right now, only one of them is.
| No. | Team | WTC PCT |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 87.50 |
| 2 | South Africa | 75.00 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 66.67 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 66.67 |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 58.33 |
| 6 | India | 48.15 |
| 7 | England | 26.39 |
| 8 | Pakistan | 8.33 |
| 9 | West Indies | 4.17 |
Pakistan sit eighth out of nine teams in the current World Test Championship cycle with a percentage points rating of 8.33.
They were whitewashed by Bangladesh at home in a Test series in 2024, one of the most painful results in Pakistan Test history. They lost the opening Test in the West Indies in this current cycle too.
If India and Pakistan played a Test series right now, one side would bring the world’s largest cricket fanbase and some of the most technically complete Test batters in the game.
The other would bring a squad that just lost to Bangladesh on home soil and currently sits ahead of only West Indies in the WTC standings.
The fixture would sell out every session of every match. It would also be deeply uneven cricket, and that unevenness would be the story rather than the rivalry.
What De Silva Actually Said
De Silva’s quote came with context worth reading. He was not just making a political point about India and Pakistan. He was making a structural argument about how Test cricket survives.
“If India and Pakistan play a Test series today, there will be enormous interest. It is how you create that battle,” he told Sportstar.
He connected this to the broader challenge of T20’s dominance, the need to align the game with modern trends, and the importance of financial investment in player development.
He used Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rise to argue that young players need the freedom to express themselves and the right people around them to sustain long careers.
The India-Pakistan Test series example was one piece of a larger argument about Test cricket needing to sell rivalries and spectacle the way franchise T20 does. Not a political statement. A structural one.
The England Test Series is Pakistan’s Real Focus Right Now
While the India-Pakistan Test series remains a geopolitical question with no timeline, Pakistan has a more immediate Test challenge scheduled.
Three Tests against England starting August 19 at Headingley, with the second at Lord’s on August 27 and the third at Edgbaston on September 9.
England sit seventh in the WTC at 26.39. Pakistan sit eighth at 8.33. These are the two teams the WTC standings suggest need these matches most.
Pakistan’s Test rebuild under Shan Masood started with that Bangladesh whitewash. The England series is the next real measurement of whether anything has changed in the longest format.
If Pakistan can compete in England, the conversation about an India-Pakistan Test series becomes more interesting. If they cannot, the WTC table makes De Silva’s vision feel like a long way away.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did India and Pakistan last play a Test match? India and Pakistan last played a Test match in December 2007 in Bengaluru, India. India won the series 1-0. Following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, India suspended all bilateral cricket with Pakistan and the two nations have not played a Test since.
What did Aravinda de Silva say about an India-Pakistan Test series? Aravinda de Silva told Sportstar that if India and Pakistan played a Test series today, there would be enormous interest, and that creating such rivalries is how Test cricket survives against the rise of T20. He was making a broader argument about Test cricket’s structural need to sell its biggest matches.
Where does Pakistan stand in the World Test Championship 2025-27? Pakistan sit eighth out of nine teams in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle with a percentage points rating of 8.33, above only West Indies at 4.17. Australia lead the standings at 87.50.
