Retired Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan shared a screenshot of the email sent on his behalf to organisers about his refusal to participate in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) game against Pakistan. Dhawan revealed that he had sent a mail on May 11 and took to X, claiming that he stands by the decision even now to not play against Pakistan.
After facing intense backlash from the netizens ahead of the WCL encounter between India and Pakistan, the organisers were forced to cancel Sunday's blockbuster encounter at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Reports also floated earlier that a handful of cricketers have pulled out due to the recent border tensions between India and Pakistan.
Below is Dhawan's tweet on X:
The left-handed batter wrote:
"Jo kadam 11 May ko liya, uspe aaj bhi waise hi khada hoon. Mera desh mere liye sab kuch hai, aur desh se badhkar kuch nahi hota." (The step I took on May 11, I still stand by that. My country is everything for me and nothing comes above that.)
Pakistan beat England by five runs to open their WCL 2025 campaign
Meanwhile, Pakistan opened their WCL 2025 campaign with a narrow five-run victory over England in the tournament-opener after Mohammad Hafeez's pivotal half-century. The Men in Green held their nerves to defend 161. India are the defending champions, having beaten Pakistan in the final last year.
With India's match against arch-rivals cancelled, their maiden fixture of the tournament will be against South Africa on July 22 in Northampton.
