Ravichandran Ashwin‘s sudden retirement from international cricket has allowed the 38-year-old to now become the first person to achieve a rather unique thing. Ashwin is among 14 Indian players to have made more than 100 Test appearances for India, and one of 78 players in the history of the game to do so. However, Ashwin will go down as the first-ever player in the 147 years since Test cricket began with 100 or more Test caps who has never played a single match against Pakistan. While Ashwin is the first in the list, he could soon have two of his teammates join him.

India’s frosty relations with Pakistan within and outside the world of cricket has seen the two nations not play a single Test match against each other since December 2007. With Ashwin’s career beginning after that, he became the first-ever player to retire with more than 100 Test caps, but having never played Pakistan.

Ashwin could soon be joined on the list by Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara in the list. Kohli and Pujara have both never faced Pakistan, despite registering more than 100 Test matches each.

Given the way things have turned out regarding the Champions Trophy, neither country will tour each other in any form of cricket till at least 2027, by which time, both Kohli and Pujara may have called time on their own careers.

The only possibility of Kohli or Pujara playing against Pakistan would be a potential World Test Championship (WTC) final, which would take place in a neutral venue. With Pakistan out of the race in the 2023-25 cycle, such a scenario could only take place from the next cycle onwards.

This means that any India-Pakistan Test encounter is highly unlikely until at least 2027.

India and Pakistan will next square off in the Champions Trophy 2025 at a neutral venue, despite Pakistan being the tournament’s original hosts.

India Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara will not return to Sussex for next year’s County Championship after the English club side opted to relieve him to retain the services of Australian Daniel Hughes. The left-handed Hughes will be available for all Championship and T20 Vitality Blast matches next season. The club also announced that West Indies right-arm fast bowler Jayden Sales will play the first block of Championship fixtures. Pujara returrned to Sussex for third successive time in 2024. He played the first seven Championship matches before Hughes’ arrival.

“Taking over from Cheteshwar is not an easy task, but Dan has fitted in brilliantly and we are all delighted he will be back for the whole of next season,” Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace said in a statement on its official website.

Hughes was the leading run scorer in the group stages of this year’s Blast with 560 runs at average of 43.07, including five fifties and a highest score of 96 not out.

The Aussie helped Sussex secure a quarter-final against Lancashire Lightning at home on September 4.

He will also featured in Sussex’s final five Championship games this season.

“Dan has been top class for us on and off the field. He has brought a wealth of experience to the dressing room and has seriously helped some of our young batters with the development of their games,” Fabrace said.