• Source:JND
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IND vs PAK WCL: Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi, who is also famous for his controversial statements, stoked the fire on Sunday, attacking veteran India opener Shikhar Dhawan for influencing other Indian players.

The match between India and Pakistan was scheduled for Sunday; however, after multiple players from the Indian team opted out of the exhibition game against Pakistan, the organisers of the World Championship of Legends called off the match.

According to several reports, legends like Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan and Yusuf Pathan were among the first to withdraw from the match, but there was no official confirmation about these players.

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However, veteran Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan took to social media to put out his take and explained his decision not to play the game given the current "geopolitical" situation between the two neighbouring countries in the aftermath of the Pahalgam incident.

Speaking to the local media on Sunday, the former Pakistan captain condemned India for their last-minute decision and blamed the withdrawal on Dhawan.

"...Sports bring countries closer. If politics comes between everything then how will you move forward? Without communication, things cannot be solved. The idea for these kinds of events is also to meet one one-on-one. But you know, there is always one rotten egg, which spoils everything," Shahid Afridi told the media on Sunday, July 20.

"We are here to play cricket, and I've always said that cricket should be kept away from politics — it should move forward. A player should be a good ambassador, not a source of embarrassment for their country," he added.

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Afridi went on to add that the Indian team held a practice session before their opener against Pakistan Champions and suggested that if they didn't intend to compete in the World Championship League 2025, then the team should have stayed at home.

"We've come here to play cricket. If [India] didn't want to play against Pakistan, they should've refused before coming here. But now you've arrived, even held practice sessions, and then suddenly changed everything in a single day," he added.