Veteran Pakistan batsman Younis Khan has said that India and Pakistan should keep aside the tension rising between them and resume playing Test cricket. The already strained relationship between the two nations has been further deteriorated after the Uri attacks last month in which 19 Indian soldiers were martyred.

Following the attacks, the Indian cricket fraternity asked to cut-off all the bilateral ties with the arch rivals. In fact, the BCCI went on to ask ICC to not pit India and Pakistan in the same group in future ICC tournaments. However, Younis said that two nations should resume playing against each other since people want to see them play.

“India and Pakistan are two giants of cricket — one number one and the other number two — so whatever the situation between the two nations it must be forgotten and cricket should be played, people want to watch them play,” Younis said.

The two fierce rivals have not played a full bilateral Test series after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks which led to the suspension of cricketing ties between the two countries.They played a short series of three ODIs and two T20 matches in India in December 2012 but otherwise they have met only in ICC-organised events or the Asia Cup.

“Whenever we play India people watch the game with unmatched interest and the game gets good promotion in the region, it should be played and played regularly,” added Younis.

The senior batsman missed his country’s first Test match against West Indies as he was recovering from dengue fever. But now he is all set to join the team for the second Test. He was looking in good form during the England series where he played a monumental knock of 218 runs in his last Test.

Currently on 9,456 runs in Test cricket, when Pakistan’s highest run-getter was asked whether he is looking forward to join the 10,000-run club, he said:“I never go after records,”

“It’s my wish to be in that elite group of 10,000 runs because there is no Pakistani in that group.”