The Indian champions have refused to play in Thursday’s World Championship of Legends semifinal matchup against Pakistan, continuing their policy of avoiding competitive matches against their bitter rivals.
After defeating West Indies Champions in only 13.2 overs in their final group match on Tuesday, India Champions advanced to the semifinals of the current World Championship of Legends.
According to sources who spoke to IANS on Wednesday, “Indian players have refused to play against Pakistan in the WCL semifinal scheduled for Thursday.”
Following vocal protests from Indian players and a major tournament sponsor, as well as public statements from former Indian cricket players like Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan announcing they would not play in the match, the league stage match between the two countries was earlier officially canceled.
EaseMyTrip, one of the major sponsors of the WCL, withdrew from the India-Pakistan WCL semifinal earlier on Wednesday, reiterating its long-standing policy of not taking part in any match featuring Pakistan.
“Team India @India_Champions, you have made the country proud with your incredible achievement in the World Championship of Legends. We applaud you for that. The forthcoming semi-final matchup with Pakistan, however, is more than just a game; terror and cricket are incompatible. We support India, @EaseMyTrip. Any event that aims to normalize relations with a nation that encourages terrorism cannot have our support.
“We hear what the Indian people have to say. The India vs. Pakistan WCL match will not be connected to EaseMyTrip. There are some things that transcend sports. “Nishant Pitti, co-founder of the travel-tech company, said in a statement on Wednesday, “Nation first business later, Always.”
India’s Champions have had a wild campaign, losing to South Africa Champions by 88 runs (using the DRS system) at the start and then losing to Australia (4 wickets) and England (23 runs) in quick succession. The game against Pakistan that was abandoned was their only point prior to the match against the West Indies.
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