Shan Masood shares his dream of leading Pakistan against India in Test cricket

The India-Pakistan Test match will be led by Shan Masood. Such a dream is harbored by the current captain of the Pakistan cricket team. This revelation came in an interview with "Wisden Cricket Monthly" by Masood himself.

India and Pakistan have not played a Test match since the 2007/08 season. There has been no bilateral series between the two sides since the 2012/13 season. The inherent political instability between India and Pakistan has impacted cricket, resulting in no matches outside ICC events.

However, Pakistan's men's and women's teams have faced each other several times in ICC and ACC events, albeit in limited-overs cricket.

India has played in the ICC Test Championship final for the past two years, while Pakistan has yet to qualify. In the interview with Wisden, Masood recalled the 2022 T20 World Cup match against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which left a lasting memory with approximately 94,000 spectators in attendance.

"If we were to play a Test match against Pakistan or India, even at a neutral venue like Ahmedabad, or in Pakistan, or at any neutral venue – I know tickets for an India-Pakistan match would sell at any ground. It would be fantastic," said Masood.

"You want to play against the best, and when it's India, they are one of the best, especially when it comes to Test cricket. We've seen a fantastic series between England and India a while back. I'd have loved that. To lead Pakistan against India would have been a huge honor," he added.

Masood acknowledges that his dream is difficult to achieve. However, the Test Championship has opened up such opportunities where any top team can be faced as an opponent. And if it were India, and if Masood could lead Pakistan in that match, then his dream would not be far-fetched.