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India Champions have secured a dramatic semifinal spot in the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 and are now scheduled to face Pakistan again – a matchup that was controversially skipped earlier in the tournament.
Their previous group-stage clash was cancelled when India refused to take the field against Pakistan, raising political and sporting concerns.
However, with both teams now set to meet in the knockout stage, questions loom over whether India will participate this time or pull out again.
India earned their semifinal place after defeating West Indies Champions in a must-win game at Grace Road. Chasing 145 runs, India needed to achieve the target within 14.1 overs to qualify.
They did it in 13.2 overs, thanks to a half-century from Stuart Binny and key support from skipper Yuvraj Singh.
Read: Saeed Ajmal takes six as Pakistan thrash Australia in WCL 2025
Pakistan, unbeaten in four of their five matches, topped the group with nine points and a net run rate of +2.452.
South Africa and Australia followed in second and third positions, respectively. Despite only one win, India edged past England and West Indies due to a superior net run rate.
The India vs Pakistan semifinal is scheduled for July 31 in Birmingham, alongside the second semifinal between South Africa and Australia. All eyes are now on India – not just for performance but for their decision to take the field against their arch-rival.
Shikhar Dhawan Bold Statement
During a casual media interview, Shikhar Dhawan initially avoided commenting on the question about facing Pakistan in the WCL 2025 semifinals. However, he later responded:
“Brother, you’re asking this question in the wrong place. Do you really think I’d answer under pressure? You shouldn’t be asking this. If I didn’t play before, I won’t play now either.”
Indian Legend Skipper Yuvraj Singh Statement
In the post-match presentation, Indian cricket legend and team skipper Yuvraj Singh firmly addressed the ongoing speculation, stating that India reached the WCL 2025 final on merit and is fully committed to competing.
“We are not boycotting the semifinal. We made it here by playing good cricket. We deserved our place in the semifinals, and we are fully geared up to win the title,” Yuvraj said confidently.
Afridi Takes Dig at Indian Champions
Pakistani legend and former all-rounder Shahid Afridi took a dig at the Indian team, referring to their past boycott over his political views and criticism of Indian actions in Occupied Kashmir. He questioned how the Indian players would now justify playing in the semifinal against Pakistan.
“Now with what face will India play? If they do, it will be against us only,” Afridi remarked pointedly.
Following all the statements, the speculation still looms whether the Indian legends will take the field or withdraw from the WCL semifinals against their Pakistani counterparts.
