Shikhar Dhawan was one of the Indian players who withdrew from playing against Pakistan in the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL) in the United Kingdom. Led by Yuvraj Singh, India Champions were to open their WCL 2025 campaign against Shahid Afridi-led Pakistan Champions at Edgbaston in Birmingham on June 20.
However, the India vs Pakistan WCL 2025 clash was cancelled after few of the Indian players withdrew from the encounter, following Operation Sindoor, which was a retaliation against the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 innocent lives in Kashmir on April 22.
Both the teams shared a point each with Dhawan being the only Indians player to announce his decision in public. With the WCL 2025 in its midway, there might be a possibility of an India vs Pakistan clash in the semifinals. When asked if he would change his stance, the former India opener looked visibly annoyed by the reporter’s question.
“You’re asking this question at the wrong time and place — you shouldn’t have asked it. And as I didn’t play earlier, I still won’t play now,” Dhawan told the reporter, the video of which went viral in no time in social media.
The cancellation of the Indo-Pak game also drew massive criticism from the former Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi and Salman Butt. While Afridi stated “one bad egg spoils it for everyone,” Butt, who was banned from cricket for 10 years for spot-fixing against England in 2010, challenged India to take a consistent stance across ICC events in future.
As things stand, both India and Pakistan are placed at two different positions in the WCL 2025 points table. With three wins from four games, Pakistan are placed atop the table while India are languishing at the bottom after their recent loss to Australia. In fact, Dhawan had hit a strokeful 91 against Australia on their way to 203/4.