At the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025, veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has finally revealed why he decided not to play against Pakistan. In protest of the Pahalgam terror attacks, the Indian Champions team, captained by Yuvraj Singh, forfeited both of its games against the Pakistan Legends team, including a semi-final. Now, Shikhar Dhawan has disclosed the rationale behind his choice.
In July 2025, retired cricketing greats from all over the world competed in the WCL, a private league, in Birmingham, Northampton, Leicester, and Leeds. But the competition happened only a few months after the terrible assault in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 Indian citizens. Tensions between India and Pakistan were further escalated by the Indian government’s following military response, known as Operation Sindoor. Dhawan revealed that he had given the organisers plenty of notice that he would not be playing against Pakistan.
Two months prior to the event, I informed the organisers that I would not be playing against Pakistan. Because, in my opinion, everything that occurred—the war, Operation Sindoor, and the terror attacks—was still extremely raw, and my soul wasn’t prepared to play. I didn’t play, thus. I had previously informed them that I didn’t want to play at that point. Furthermore, I didn’t feel comfortable playing against Pakistan at the time, even while I was there.
The way things transpired and how our Indians, our Hindu brothers, were attacked—that was completely wrong—caused some personal anguish at the moment. Thus, the pain persisted. During an appearance on the Figuring Out With Raj Shamani podcast, Shikhar Dhawan stated, “That’s why I respected that hurt and I went with that.” The fact that these things occur in this day and age is quite regrettable. You see, a person’s entire family was decimated. They had just taken a trip, poor people. The family was ruined. He stated on the Figuring Out With Raj Shamani podcast, “It’s a very sad thing.”
Two to three days before the event, the IND-PAK vibe begins to develop: Shikhar Dhawan
Even though India and Pakistan still play each other in ICC and ACC tournaments, Shikhar Dhawan clarified that the WCL’s private nature allowed him the flexibility to express his opinions. The veteran also talked about the atmosphere during his playing days when the two nations faced off.
“The mood has changed. The entire setting shifts. Both fan sets arrive fully charged. Everything is influenced by the surroundings. The mood intensifies. Two to three days before the event, the tension between India and Pakistan begins to grow. All of the Indian and Pakistani fans will attend. They will congregate beneath the hotel. There are drums, dancing, and singing, and when you go outside to watch the game, all of the Indian and Pakistani supporters are there, yelling.
Throughout the game, there is a sound. Thus, the energy situation is different and really exciting. An much different atmosphere. Performing well is always the aim for a player. We must do well against them, defeat Pakistan, and ensure that our nation prevails. It’s enjoyable to defeat them. It was enjoyable. For example, I assured everyone that I would tell my grandparents that I defeated Pakistan when I hit a century in the Asia Cup. It’s a whole different energy and a different level of competition,” Shikhar Dhawan continued.
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