India and Pakistan last played bilateral cricket in 2012-13.
India haven't played Pakistan in bilateral cricket since a home limited-overs series in 2012, with their last meeting in Tests dating back to 2007. In this period, they've only clashed in multi-nation tournaments such as the World Cup and the Asia Cup.
Considering the political relationship between the two countries, an India versus Pakistan bilateral series does not look anywhere close to the horizon.
Speaking on the Pakistani cricket show Sports Central, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar candidly shared his views on the sensitive matter, saying that India and Pakistan can only resume their cricketing relations when there is peace at the border.
"By frankly having peace at the borders... (How can India and Pakistan play a bilateral series?) It’s very simple. If there's peace at the borders, then I think both governments will certainly say, 'Look, okay, we've had no incidents, nothing at all. So let's at least start talking,'" Gavaskar said.
"I'm pretty certain there will be some back-channel connections going on. But you want to see what's happening both on the ground and off the ground because of the fact that there are incursions we hear about. That’s the reason why the Indian government is saying, 'Look, maybe until all that stops, we should not even look at having or talking about anything,'" he added.
The BCCI hasn’t sent the Indian cricket team across the border for the ongoing Champions Trophy due to security concerns, forcing the ICC to adopt a hybrid model. As per this model, the Men in Blue are playing their matches in Dubai.
This was not the only complicated case in the Champions Trophy 2025. Calls to boycott the Afghanistan game also came from certain sections of England and Australia.
Gavaskar said it was commendable for England to play the match against Afghanistan as he believes sport and political leanings should be kept separate in an ICC tournament.
"It’s a good thing that the England and Wales Cricket Board decided to go ahead and play, and that is because whatever the government decides between themselves is another matter. Therefore, it was good that they eventually came and played. And, well, they lost. So maybe now if someone says, 'They knew they were going to lose to Afghanistan, that's why they didn't want to play against them,'” Gavaskar remarked.