Shikhar Dhawan sets record straight on playing if India face Pakistan in WCL 2025 semis: 'You shouldn't have asked this'
Last Sunday, India Champions were to face Pakistan Champions in a highly anticipated clash at Edgbaston. It was also a repeat of last season's finale, where India won to lift the inaugural WCL title. However, several players pulled out of the match, citing the current geopolitical scenario between the two nations in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 this year.
WCL then called off the clash and apologised to the Indian unit for "unintentionally causing discomfort."
A week after India's narrow loss to Australia, Shikhar Dhawan was asked if he would play against Pakistan Champions in a potential semifinal. The veteran batter firmly ruled out the possibility.
"You're asking this question at the wrong time and place — you shouldn't have asked it. And even if I didn't play earlier, I still won't play now," Dhawan was quoted by Geo News.
As it stands, India are less likely to face Pakistan in the knockouts unless they win their remaining two matches—against England and the West Indies. The defending champions currently sit at the bottom of the table with two defeats from three games and have yet to open their accounts this season. Pakistan are placed second after a hat-trick of wins. They will play their final game against Australia.
What happened last Sunday in WCL 2025?
Earlier last week, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan, and Yusuf Pathan were among the first to pull out of the league game against Pakistan Champions, although there was no official confirmation about it.
The first official confirmation of a player withdrawal came in the early hours of Monday, when Dhawan shared a statement on X, making it clear that he had taken the call due to the current "geopolitical" situation between India and Pakistan.
"This is to formally reiterate and confirm that Mr. Shikhar Dhawan will not be participating in any matches against the Pakistan team in the upcoming WCL League. This decision was communicated earlier during our discussion on call and WhatsApp dated 11th May 2025," read his statement.
After as many as six Indian players pulled out of the game, the organisers were left with no choice but to cancel the match.
"After hearing the news that the Pakistan hockey team will be coming to India this year, and seeing the recent India vs Pakistan volleyball match along with a few other fixtures between the two nations in different sports, we thought of continuing with the India vs Pakistan match at WCL, just to create some happy memories for people around the globe.
"But maybe in the process, we ended up hurting the feelings of many and stirring emotions," the WCL statement read.
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