Shikhar Dhawan Breaks Silence On Boycotting India vs Pakistan WCL Match

Dhawan’s remarks underline that the boycott was driven by personal conviction and mutual understanding among the players—not any external coercion.

When India was slated to face Pakistan on June 20, tensions flared.

Source : PTI

India vs Pakistan showdown in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 never happened—not once, but twice. One match was scheduled during the group stage, and the other was a semifinal. However, both fixtures were called off, leaving fans disappointed and the tournament mired in controversy.

The WCL was launched to celebrate the legends of the game and bring fans nostalgic joy. But when India was slated to face Pakistan on June 20, tensions flared.

The timing of the match—right after the Pahalgam terror attack—sparked widespread outrage across India. The idea of Indian legends playing against Pakistan's team, even in a friendly setting, was met with strong resistance online.

Several high-profile Indian players, including Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, and Harbhajan Singh, chose to withdraw from the game. Their absence, along with public sentiment, ultimately forced the organizers to cancel the match. Yet, the situation repeated when both teams were due to face off again in the semifinal. Once more, India pulled out, and Pakistan advanced to the final by default.

Shikhar Dhawan put all doubts to rest

Speculation soon emerged: Was this a political directive? Had the BCCI instructed the players not to participate?

Shikhar Dhawan put all doubts to rest in a recent conversation with CricBlogger. He clarified that the decision to boycott the match was completely voluntary.

“I was personally against playing the match against Pakistan, and it was a conscious decision I took. Some of the others, including Bhajji paa (Harbhajan Singh), also chose not to participate in that particular game,” Dhawan said.

He emphasized that many players were emotionally affected by the recent events and did not feel comfortable representing India in a match against Pakistan under such circumstances.

“There was no pressure from anyone. Some of us were simply not comfortable playing against Pakistan, and we didn’t see any compelling reason to go ahead and take part in the game,” he added.