India vs Pakistan: India Champions captain Yuvraj Singh bats against West Indies Champions' Dwayne Bravo. (Screengrab via Fancode YouTube)The India vs Pakistan semi-final at the World Championship of Legends will not go ahead as the India Champions team has chosen the forfeit the clash, which was scheduled to happen on Thursday. Pakistan Champions thus become the first team to enter the final and will await the winner of the second semi-final clash between South Africa Champions and Australia Champions.
This was on expected lines because the India Champions team had also forced the group stage game between India and Pakistan to be abandoned with both sides splitting a point each. India were having a woeful tournament, losing all their games, until they defeated West Indies Champions in the final group stage game to secure a spot in the semi-finals. That one point they had secured from not playing Pakistan turned out to be an important one.
PTI reported that Shikhar Dhawan, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina had expressed their unwillingness to play the knockout game against Pakistan.
In a statement released by the organisers of the league, WCL, the organisers showed respect towards India’s decision to withdraw from the semi-final and acknowledged Pakistan’s willingness to play, confirming that the match had been called off and Pakistan Champions would progress to the final.
The statement read: “At WCL, we have always believed in the power of sport to inspire and bring about positive change in the world. However, public sentiment must always be respected – after all, everything we do is for our audience. We respect the India Champions’ decision to withdraw from the semi-finals, and we equally respect the Pakistan Champions’ readiness to compete. Taking all factors into consideration, the match between the India Champions and the Pakistan Champions has been called off. As a result, Pakistan Champions will advance to the final.”
India Champions had won the title last time around.
Yesterday, EasyMyTrip, a top sponsor for the World Championship of Legends had also said that it will not back the India vs Pakistan clash.
“We applaud Team India 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,” EasyMyTrip co-founder Nishant 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.”
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