Players of the India Champions side have refused to play against Pakistan in the semifinals of the World Championship of Legends in Birmingham on Saturday, upholding the country’s stance against bilateral sporting engagements with Pakistan in the aftermath of the tragic Pahalgam terror attack.
According to a report in the PTI, Shikhar Dhawan, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, among others, have already expressed their unwillingness to play the knockout game against Pakistan.
The Indian team took a similar stance earlier in the tournament when they refused to play against Pakistan in the league stage. The tournament organisers later called off the game and apologised to the Indian unit for “unintentionally causing discomfort” to the players.
India were scheduled to face Pakistan in the semi-final of the tournament on Thursday at Edgbaston Cricket Ground. The Mohammad Hafeez-led side qualified for the knockouts after finishing top of the table with four wins in five games in the league stage. India, on the other hand, finished fourth in the group stage and only sealed a semi-final berth after a dominant win over the West Indies Champions, chasing down the target in just 13.2 overs on Tuesday. Prior to that, they had lost all their group-stage matches.
Earlier, the co-founder of EaseMyTrip, a top sponsor of the league, Nishant Pitt, announced that the company will not be associated with the semifinal game between India and Pakistan. The decision was announced on social media, and it stemmed from national interest and the belief that “terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand.”
“We applaud Team India @India_Champions for their outstanding performance in the World Championship of Legends, you’ve made the nation proud. However, the upcoming semi-final against Pakistan is not just another game, Terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand,” Pitti wrote on his ‘X’ handle.
“@EaseMyTrip, we stand with India. We cannot support any event that attempts to normalise relations with a country that promotes terrorism. The people of India have spoken and we hear them. EaseMyTrip will not be associated with the India vs Pakistan match in WCL.”