India's legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar talked about the only resumption of India versus Pakistan's bilateral series. The batting great feels there is only way to resume the India-Pakistan's bilateral cricket and that is 'talk'. He said that the resumption of cricketing ties between India and Pakistan hinges on the establishment of peace along their shared border. Appearing on the Pakistani cricket program Sports Central, Gavaskar attributed the current suspension of bilateral cricket to border incursions. He pointed out that until these issues are resolved, cricket remains a secondary concern.
Sunil Gavaskar on India vs Pakistan's bilateral cricket's resumption
Team India has refrained from touring Pakistan since the 2005/06 season and has also avoided playing Pakistan in multi-team events held in Pakistan, such as the 2023 Asia Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. While Pakistan did tour India for a bilateral series in 2012/13 and participated in the 2023 ODI World Cup hosted by India, bilateral tours have remained suspended. For the Champions Trophy, the BCCI chose not to send its team to Pakistan, leading the ICC to broker a compromise where India's matches were hosted at the Dubai International Stadium. Gavaskar clarified that cricket can only resume when the respective governments reach a consensus that border incursions have ceased, paving the way for broader discussions.
"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 with talking,'" Gavaskar said on 'Sports Central'.
"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,'" the former India captain further added.
Both the arch-rivals were up against each other in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025. But it was Rohit Sharma's brigade who emerged victorious over Mohammad Rizwan's Pakistan by six wickets in the high-octane encounter in Dubai. While India stormed into the Champions Trophy semifinal after notching two consecutive wins in their first two matches Bangladesh and Pakistan, Mohammad Rizwan's men faced early elimination from the tournament and returned home with a winless campaign.
