Former team Indian opener Shikal Dhawan recently spoke about his decision not to face the Pakistani Legend Team (WCL) at the World Championships. Dhawan revealed that he notified organizers two months before the event that he would not be participating in the match against Pakistan.
Dhawan retired from all forms of international and domestic cricket on August 24, 2024. The left-handed opener appeared in India with a 34 Test, 167 ODI and a 68 T20I. He won 10,867 international runs and also played more than 400 domestic matches in Delhi. The batter began his domestic career in 2004.
India has withdrawn from the legendary world championships of clash with Pakistan
India was set to face Pakistan at the legendary world championships at the World Championships a few months after the Pahargam terrorist attack, in which 26 Indian civilians were killed. The Indian government has launched Operation Sindoah against the terrorist infrastructure in Kashmir (POK), which is occupied by Pakistan and Pakistan.
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Many people and social media users have called on India to boycott Pakistan at all levels and the match has been cancelled. Before the official statement, some Indian players like Halbhajan Singh, Shikal Dhawan, Suresh Reina and Irfan Pathan had already said they were not willing to play.
In particular, the Indian champion team also retreated from the semi-finals against Pakistan, giving the green men a walkover in the final, where they lost against South African legends.
I had already spoken to the organizers two months ago – Shikal Dhawan
Speaking about his podcast with Raj Shamani, Shikal Dhawan said the recent terrorist attacks, Operation Sindoah and related events are still fresh. Dhawan added that he did not feel it was right to compete against Pakistan, citing the pain caused by attacks on Indian civilians.
“I had already told the organizers two months before the event that they wouldn’t play against Pakistan, because for me, I said I didn’t want to play because terrorist attacks, operation Sindore, war was still in the works and my soul wasn’t ready to play.
“And even when I went there, I didn’t feel right to play against Pakistan in that moment, and at that time, I was so wrong because of the way our Indians, our Hindu brothers were attacked, that I hurt it.
“It’s very sad that these things happen in this era. Look at someone’s family, all of their families, their families, have been destroyed. Poor people, they were just on a trip. The family was destroyed. That’s very sad.”
You will need to play Pakistan in the Asian Cup.
The Indian champion team confiscated the match in the world championship legend, but the blue man faced Pakistan three times in the Asian Cup and won all matches.
Dhawan said if the government asks them to play against Pakistan in tournaments like the Asia Cup, they should follow the order.
“If the government says that they should play Pakistan in the Asian Cup, we should play,” Dhawan said.
He also recalled a fierce exchange with former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi after the legendary world championships. Afridi commented on the Indian army, while Dhawan responded with reference to the Kargil war on social media.
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