India’s match against Pakistan in WCL 2025 was cancelled after Indian players, led by Shikhar Dhawan, decided to pull out of the match due to Shahid Afridi’s anti-India comments.
In the ongoing World Championship of Legends, the encounter between India and Pakistan was called off after several Indian players decided to pull out due to the current situation and tensions between the two neighbouring countries. The match, scheduled to be held on July 20 at Edgbaston in Birmingham, was supposed to be India’s first match of the tournament but was called off after the Indian legends expressed their unwillingness to play against their arch-rivals.
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Speaking to the media on the scheduled day of the match, Afridi expressed disappointment at India’s pullout and directly blamed Shikhar Dhawan for influencing the decision. According to Afridi, Dhawan’s open refusal to play in Afridi’s presence left deep resentments in the Indian camp.
“Sport brings countries together. How do you move forward if politics comes in the middle of everything? But you know there is always that one rotten egg that spoils everything,” Afridi told local reporters. He initially took a dig at Dhawan without naming him, but later blamed him for the controversy.
Afridi calls Dhawan “shameful”
Afridi called Dhawan “shameful” and suggested that the entire Indian team should have stayed in India instead of pulling out at the last minute. “They trained a day before the match. I think they pulled out just because of one player. The Indian team is also very disappointed. They came here to play,” he added.
The cancellation of the India-Pakistan match at Edgbaston was not just based on internal team decisions. There was a huge uproar on Indian social media platforms after the match was announced. Many questioned the ethics of former Indian players taking part in a match with Pakistani cricketers amid border tensions.
The cancellation of the match is a major setback to efforts to revive cricketing ties between the two countries. The organisers of the World Championship of Legends 2025 were hoping for star power and crowd energy from the India-Pakistan match, especially with around 18,000 spectators expected to attend the match at Edgbaston.
