Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement from international cricket comes amidst a heated Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. While the spinner has been a star for India on several tours of Australia, found success in England, and helped establish an era of dominance at home, he still signals the first of a generation of Indian cricketers who have never taken part in what was once the crown jewel of Indian Test cricket: a series against Pakistan.
Pakistan and India last faced off in a Test series all the way back in 2007, and tensions between the rival countries since then has meant the pinnacle of cricket hasn’t seen a match in this format in going on 18 years. Here is a list of Indian greats who have never played a Test match against Pakistan, something which looks unlikely to change unless the great rivals qualify for a World Test Championship final at a neutral venue.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin called it a day in cricket with 537 Test wickets, but none of those came against Pakistan. He does have an iconic moment against the rivals on his resume, with that famous chip-drive over mid-off to help India win the thriller at the MCG in the 2022 T20 World Cup, but never quite got to show off his best with ball in hand in limited overs cricket.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has enjoyed life against Pakistan in the blue shirt and with the white ball: his highest ODI score remains a clinical 183* scored in an Asia Cup encounter early in his career against Pakistan, and who can forget his flat-bat drive straight down the ground in the same MCG World Cup thriller in a fantastic innings to win India that match. Nevertheless, it’s a ticking clock on facing Pakistan with the red ball.
Rohit Sharma
Another player who has enjoyed life in white ball cricket against Pakistan, the Indian skipper has never played against Pakistan in Tests. Although he debuted in white ball cricket all the way back in 2007, his notoriously long wait for a Test cap means he too missed the boat on competing against them with the red ball. Rohit currently has exactly 1000 runs in ODIs and T20Is vs Pakistan.
Cheteshwar Pujara
A long-time stalwart of the Indian Test team before the management moved on, Pujara’s status as a Test specialist means he has never had the opportunity to compete against Pakistan internationally. For such a key piece of India’s cricket over the last decade, never facing Pakistan might be something that got away from Pujara.
Ajinkya Rahane
The last of India’s 3-4-5 batting core which stepped into the shoes of a generation of cricketers who had some memorable bouts against Pakistan, Ajinkya Rahane was always seen as something of an overseas specialist, a man for all seasons for India. Possessed with the type of steel essential for such a high-pressure and tense series, another player who missed out on being able to deliver his best vs Pakistan.
