Shahid Afridi reacts to Rohit Sharma's call for India,Pakistan bilateral cricket

India captain Rohit Sharma recently expressed the importance of resuming bilateral cricket matches against Pakistan, suggesting it could significantly benefit red-ball cricket. 

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi also responded positively to Rohit's remarks, noting that such matches could enhance the relationship between the two nations.

During a recent discussion on the Club Prairie Fire podcast, former England captain Michael Vaughan asked Rohit if regular matches with Pakistan would benefit Test cricket. The Indian skipper expressed his eagerness for such contests, seeing them as an exciting competition between the two arch-rivals.

In response to Rohit's comments, Afridi praised the Indian captain for his "positive statement." He emphasized cricket's pivotal role in improving relations between Pakistan and India and suggested it could aid in resolving differences between the two nations.

"Absolutely a very good response, it should happen. He is an ambassador of India. We have always said that the relationship between Pakistan and India, especially cricket has played an important role in it. We used to go to India and play cricket there. These things build relationships. It's neighbours right to have a good relationship," Afridi said on a local news channel.

It is worth noting that India and Pakistan have not engaged in a bilateral Test series since 2007, with their last encounter occurring when Pakistan toured India. The series concluded with India securing a 1-0 victory. Since the 2012-13 season, bilateral cricket between the two rivals has been notably absent, with their meetings limited to multi-nation tournaments such as the ICC World Cups and Asia Cup competitions.